


New Beginnings

by scarecrowstories



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Aging, Angst, Anniversary, Anxiety, Beaches, Being Lost, Birthday, Caretaking, Comfort, Crush at First Sight, Depression, Domestic, F/F, First Dates, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Girls Kissing, Grief/Mourning, Holding Hands, Holidays, Implied Sexual Content, Long-Distance Relationship, Making Out, Moving In Together, Other, Past Character Death, Plans For The Future, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Recreational Drug Use, Sharing a Bed, Showers, Sick Character, Sleepy Cuddles, Snow, Storms, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-07-29 00:10:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 20,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20072899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarecrowstories/pseuds/scarecrowstories
Summary: A series of mostly-fluffy ficlets about Firsts in Lup and Lucretia's relationship, tags to update with each installment.





	1. First Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy y'all I made a list of 30 writing prompts for "the first time x happens in the relationship" and hope to spend August writing Lupcretia ficlets for it!! If I add some Blupcretia in later y'all will know, but the tags will be updated each time I add a new ficlet. Gonna try to keep them short and sweet. Enjoy!

They were sitting on Lucretia's bed some time during the fourth cycle, Lup laying across the pillows luxuriously while Lucretia sat cross-legged at the end. When Lup finished telling Lucretia a crazy story about a time she hooked up with an orc woman she met in a bar that somehow ended in them busting a smuggling ring, Lucretia felt like she should share something too.

"Would you believe me if I said I've never been kissed?" she asked, aware of how flirtatious it sounded but unable to stop herself. Lup was beautiful, and she'd be lying if she claimed she hadn't thought about kissing her the entire time she'd known her. She felt bad having a crush on her friend when they were stuck on the run with little room for space, but it was harmless, right? And after a story like that, Lucretia felt she didn't have much else to contribute.

Lup's jaw dropped. "No way! You're way too pretty! Never?!" That made Lucretia blush, which made Lup laugh, which ended in Lucretia laughing along with her at the absurdity of the conversation. When they both stopped to breathe a moment later, Lup caught her wrist. "Wanna fix that?" she said, voice dropping to a sultry pitch.

Wordlessly, Lucretia nodded after a moment of hesitation. Why not? They were best friends living on a spaceship running away from the apocalypse. What was a little kiss, at that point?

As Lup's lips met hers, Lucretia realized oh, it was more than a little kiss. Lup pressed their bodies together, arms winding around Lucretia to hold her close as they sighed against one another. Lucretia was vaguely aware of the tiny moans catching in her throat with each pass of their lips and wanted to be embarrassed. And she would have been, too, if she wasn't so distracted by how wonderful it felt. She had a feeling she wasn't very good at it, but by copying Lup's movements she hoped it wasn't terrible.

When they finally pulled apart, Lucretia was unsure how much time they'd spent kissing. At some point they'd shifted to be laying on the bed, limbs fully entangled. Lup withdrew her hands from Lucretia's hair (when had that happened?) and smiled.

"Well? Everything you imagined?" Lup teased, eyes sparkling in a way that made Lucretia's chest ache.

"Amazing," was the only word she managed. Oh no, she thought. She wanted to do that again and again forever. But not just with anyone: specifically with Lup.

"Plenty more where that came from," Lup said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

And Lucretia knew at that moment that she was going to fall hopelessly in love with this woman.


	2. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 2: First Date! Lup takes Lucretia out for a day in town!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "But Scarecrow, you posted chapter one a few hours ago and said you were doing one a day!" Yes, reader, I did say that. It's 3:30am now, though, so it's technically the next day. I may do two today, who knows? Certainly not me.

It had started innocently enough. "We should go out sometime! Just the two of us!" Lup had said with a smirk. "How about tomorrow? I'll take you to this adorable café Taako and I found in town, then we can go walking through the park, and ooh! We should do something cute like get matching manicures, wouldn't that be sweet?"

Lucretia didn't know why, but she never expected they'd actually do it! The next morning Lup woke her up early to ask if she was ready for their date, and Lucretia swore she could've melted into the bed. Date?! They'd kissed many times by now, and even slept in the same bed a few times, but it never seemed to be leading to anything serious. But a date?

That was serious. Wasn't it?

She tried to calm her nerves as best she could while she got dressed, hoping the outfit she picked was the right kind to suggest that she was, in fact, taking this seriously. After rooting through her closer, she settled on a long dark blue skirt with a grey ruffled blouse that she could accentuate with a matching blue necklace. Her shoes were comfortable black boots that were good enough to walk around in all day, but nice enough to match the tone of the outfit. 

Should she wear makeup, even though she hated the stuff? She wanted to look pretty for Lup, but she didn't want to make herself uncomfortable, especially knowing Lup wouldn't want that. It wasn't that she was insecure: she knew that she was attractive, if a bit nerdy. But she wanted it to be perfect.

When Lup took her by the hand and led her into town, Lucretia felt at ease. It was so natural to walk by her side like that, fingers entwined as their shoulders occasionally bumped. 

The café was as adorable as promised. Lucretia and Lup had mimosas with their breakfast platters while they sat out on the terrace, sunshine and breeze making for a delightful atmosphere. There weren't many patrons outside, which Lucretia was grateful for. Fewer people to see her blush and giggle at Lup intentionally flirting badly with her, saying nonsense phrases like "So, beautiful, come to this town often? Because I think it might just be big enough for the both of us."

"I love seeing that smile, Lucy," Lup said in earnest over the edge of her mimosa. She was much quieter now, expression softer. "I just love making you laugh. You work so hard, and you're so strong and talented and smart. And I love helping you ease up a little." She held her glass out in the suggestion of a toast. "This is all for you, babe." Then she downed the rest of her drink.

The rest of the meal, Lucretia felt more consumed with love for this woman that she ever had before in their year-or-so of casual intimacy. They spent the rest of the morning walking around a nearby park, its paths lined with flowering bushes and trees. At one point they stopped to sit beneath a large blossoming tree, kissing in its shade, hidden from view. Then Lucretia pulled out a sketchbook to draw Lup resting against the trunk, sleepy and love-drunk.

After an hour had passed, Lup poked her side. "Enough art, missy. Let's go do something fun like get our nails done! We don't have to forage in the goddamn wilds this year, so let's enjoy a little vanity!"

"I've never gotten a manicure before," Lucretia admitted as she packed her sketchbook into her bag. "Are they expensive? Because I don't want--"

"Hush, you know money doesn't mean anything to us! Besides, the research grant that hella rich university gave Barry when we found the Light is probably enough to keep us all going for most of the year." She winked. "And we deserve a little girl-time, wouldn't you say?"

At that phrase, Lucretia stopped in her tracks. Oh. Had she misunderstood? Was this not that kind of date? Her expression must have given her away, because Lup reached out to caress her face.

"What's got you down, sweetheart?"

Thoroughly uncomfortable, Lucretia figured she'd have to be honest. "I'm sorry, Lup, I thought this was like… like a… well…" She cleared her throat. "Like a romantic date, not just 'girl-time.' It's okay if that's what you want it to be! I just-- I--"

Lup cut her off with a kiss. "Oh, no, this is definitely a romantic date!" She stood and helped Lucretia to her feet before kissing her again. "I have an idea of more romantic things we can do after the manicure, if you're interested."

And how couldn't she be? Lucretia nodded and let herself be led off down the path and back towards the downtown area. She'd been on a few dates before the IPRE, but none of them had been quite so wonderful as her first date with Lup. And a promise of more to come? Well, she thought, she could get used to this!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too familiar with posting multichapter works so like I guess let me know what you think of whichever pieces in this series you enjoy? And feel free to send me prompts for any TAZB stuff, like seriously, I'm always asking on Tumblr and not nearly enough folks follow through!


	3. First Disagreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup died early last cycle and now that she's back, Lucretia doesn't want to let her put herself at risk again so soon. Naturally, Lup disagrees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since it's not a super happy/cutesy one it's a bit shorter, but I hope folks enjoy it all the same. The goal of these all is to be a single short scene so, like, when I've accomplished that I don't wanna Over-write the prompt, if that makes sense. Let me know, maybe?

"No, I don't want you going out there and that's final!" Lucretia crossed her arms and stood her ground.

"And who the hell are you to tell me what to do? Just because you're my girlfriend doesn't mean you can control me!" Lup took an equally stubborn stance.

"Did you ever stop to think I'm trying to protect you after what happened last cycle?"

"Did you ever stop to think I'm enough of an adult to choose for myself if I want to take that risk?"

Taako stepped in between the two of them and placed a hand their shoulders. He looked more distressed than either of them. "Ladies. Stop. I love you both, but just, please, just stop."

Lup and Lucretia both instantly deflated, eyes averting as they sighed. "Lup, I'm sorry, I just… I don't want to lose you again so soon. You died the first week last year, and you've only just come back, and…" She took a shaky breath. "I'm so tired of losing you. And I don't think you're incapable of deciding if you should take the risk, I just disagree that it's worth the risk in the first place."

Nodding but still keeping her eyes on the ground, Lup responded sadly, "I know, Lucy. I'm frustrated with myself about last cycle too. It was stupid, and I should've been more careful, and I guess I was hoping to use this as an opportunity to prove myself or whatever. To prove I'm capable."

"Oh, sweetheart, we all know how capable you are, you don't have to prove anything," Lucretia assured, stepping past where Taako still stood between them to embrace Lup.

Someone, probably Magnus, coughed conspicuously, breaking the girls from their concentration. They stepped apart with an awkward laugh, hands clasped together. "I still don't wanna sit around on my ass all year, babe, so you're gonna have to let me go at some point," Lup said as casual as she could manage.

Lucretia rolled her eyes but smiled. "I know, expecting you to stop being stubborn is like expecting the sun to stop shining. It'll never happen." That earned her Lup blowing a raspberry and turning to leap onto Taako for a "welcome back" hug. At least they were safely together again after the catastrophe of the previous cycle. Lucretia would do anything to preserve Lup's vibrant spirit, ever-shining through adversity. Even if it meant they didn't always see eye to eye, it was worth it to see that smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmu fam let's be buds


	4. First Shared Shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 4: First Shared Shower! Lup comes home to the ship after a day of foraging and is absolutely filthy. Lucretia wants to help her get clean. Taako teases them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a bit of a longer one to compensate for the shorter angstier one yesterday. I just love writing them being sweet???

"Oh my goodness, that's disgusting!" Lucretia exclaimed, laughing until tears were streaming down her face. Lup came in from foraging with Magnus, and the two of them were caked head to toe in multi-colored mud. They looked absolutely ridiculous, their baskets filled with vibrant fruits that would look appetizing if not for their own layers of mud. Their faces were the cleanest parts of them and even there they were mostly covered, a streak of clean across both of their eyes to allow them to see as if out from beneath a mask.

Lup shrugged as she pushed a wet clump of hair away from her eyes. It slapped onto her ear with a wet shlorp, which made her grimace. "Yeah, a bit. This plane's weird. You should've seen the weird shit we found out there!"

"Well, I'm sure it can wait until after a shower," Lucretia advised, gingerly taking the filthy baskets from their hands and heading into the kitchen to begin the process of washing them. "I'll let Taako know we have some new ingredients while you two go do that. And I'm not cleaning up your mud tracks, that's on you!"

Magnus groaned. "Yeah, fair enough, I'll mop it all up when I'm done." He clapped Lup on the shoulder, which resulted in a sticky thud as mud splashed up where his hand landed. They both laughed. "Okay wow, yeah, we're pretty gross right now. Later!" And with that he headed off for the bathroom that the guy's shared.

Lup smiled deviously and sidled up to Lucretia, mischief alight in her eyes. "So, babe, wanna hear a fun idea?"

"If it's anything other than 'help clean Lup,' then no," she said, not bothering to look over at her girlfriend. "If you want help, that is."

Lup nodded vigorously, throwing flecks of mud at Lucretia in the process. "Oh, I definitely want help. I'm just so dirty!" She was teasing Lucretia with her overly-dramatic voice that she saved exclusively for when she had something wicked in mind. Luckily for her, Lucretia was in the mood to play along.

"Oh, you poor baby," she cooed, setting the baskets in the sink in their entirety and wheeling around to face Lup. "Why don't you let your darling girlfriend wash your beautiful hair for you? And if you're good, she may even throw in a few kisses."

"Just a few?" Lup replied, her sharp teeth standing out against the dark mud all over her face.

"Get a fucking room, you two, gross," came a voice from the door, causing them both to jump. It was Taako. "Look, I'll take care of the sink, can you two just PLEASE stop being so fucking sappy in my kitchen?"

Though Lucretia was blushing, Lup just grabbed her hand and tugged her down the hall to the bathroom that was for just the two of them. Lucretia noted that they didn't grab fresh clothes; Lup ignored her. Once the door was shut, Lucretia sighed and winced at the enormity of the task in front of her. "Lup, darling, how are we even going to get you out of those clothes?"

"Uhh, maybe I should jump in the shower with them first?" she suggested.

"I guess that'll work." Once she got the water to an appropriate temperature, she undressed and climbed in, gesturing for Lup to follow. "I've been wanting to do this for a while, but I can't say I foresaw the circumstances."

Lup laughed. "Same! I've never showered with someone before! It's not as sexy as I thought it'd be."

"That's because you're still dressed, and you've been entombed in dirt," Lucretia pointed out as she helped Lup scrub the worst of the mud off. Once the fabric underneath was visible, Lucretia got to work on scrubbing her hair clean. "Wanna step out of those shorts for me?" she requested, trying not to pull Lup's hair too hard as she worked a solid clump out of a knot.

And so it went for several minutes, with Lucretia struggling to untangle Lup's stubbornly-muddy hair while Lup fought to wriggle out of her wet clothing. Once she was finally naked, she breathed a long sigh of relief. "Clean water on my skin feels so much nicer than wading through those soggy swamp-fields," she said, eyes closed in bliss as Lucretia pet her hair. "And that shit right there? That magic shit you're doing with your hands? Perfection."

Lucretia giggled, her face growing flushed. "You're welcome." She leaned in to kiss Lup's shoulders. "You and Mags worked really hard today to bring back a lot of samples. It's important work, and I'm thankful that you both came back safely. The least I can do is help you relax now that you're home."

Humming gently, Lup let her head fall back against Lucretia as she savored the sensation of the water running down her body. Lucretia wrapped her arms around Lup's waist and held her there, the two of them embracing gently under the warm shower. "Yeah, home. It's nice to hear you say that."

"Want me to say it again?" Lucretia rested a hand on Lup's cheek for her to nuzzle against.

"Forever."

She pressed a kiss to Lup's temple, breathing in her scent. "Welcome home, Lup."

After enjoying the moment, Lup pulled free from Lucretia's arms and spun around, smiling brightly. "All right, my turn to wash your hair, babe! Turn around!"

Though she had joked that it wasn't sexy like she'd hoped, Lup cherished the chance to spend such a domestically intimate experience with Lucretia. Afterwards, when they were wrapping themselves up in towels and preparing to head back to their respective rooms for clothing, Lup wondered how soon they could shower together again. Maybe next time they could even have a little fun, she thought with a shiver of delight. Wouldn’t that be nice?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit a fella up with that feedback, folks!


	5. Sharing a Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first time sharing a bed. During a stressful cycle, Lup turns to Lucretia for comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slams fists on table More Fluff, Damn it!

They'd only been casually intimate for a few months before they shared a bed for the first time. Lup flopped onto Lucretia's bed after dinner, a weary sigh heavy on her lips as she curled around a pillow. Dinner had been stressful; both Magnus and Barry had died just days before, leaving everyone tense and miserable. Lup was bouncing between Taako's bed and her own, but now she wanted comfort from Lucretia.

"Is it okay if I stay here?" she asked, voice small. "I really don't want to be alone right now, and Taako's gonna be busy tonight. It's cool if you are too, I just…"

Lucretia sat next to where Lup was laying and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Of course. I'm here for you in whatever way I can be." A pause. "They'll be fine, y'know. Just a few months and they'll be back, good as new."

Nodding, Lup averted her eyes. "Yeah, I know. It still super sucks, though."

"It does," Lucretia agreed, letting herself flop down beside Lup. "Do you wanna talk about it, or do you wanna be distracted from it?"

"Deffo that second one. Can I kiss you some more?" she asked, shy. Lup's face was starting to blush gently as she tried to meet Lucretia's gaze. "I really like it, and by it I mean you and kissing you, and--"

Before she could finish speaking, Lucretia's lips were already on hers. Neither knew how long they lay there in each other's arms kissing, but when they eventually parted, Lup felt like she was floating. Lucretia ruffled her hair and said something about having to work on her journals for a little while, leaving Lup to lay blissed out in her bed.

They kept conversation light throughout the evening, Lup eventually moving to sit on the floor against Lucretia's desk and resting her head on her knees. She felt better than she had all week, and was surprised when she found herself yawning and stretching, ready to fall asleep.

"Why don't you go get some pajamas from your room and then we can have a cuddle? If it'll help, I can hold you until you fall asleep," Lucretia offered, running her fingers through Lup's hair.

As they were climbing into bed minutes later, Lup wondered what she did to get so lucky. It had been a while since she'd slept instead of just meditated, and she felt safe with Lucretia's arms around her. They hadn't used the word "girlfriend" yet, but Lup hoped that it was a label they would soon apply to this relationship. Lucretia was snuggled up against her back, chin resting on Lup's shoulder as she breathed gently. Her warmth and scent were everywhere, intoxicating.

Lucretia fell asleep well before Lup, but she didn't mind. She lay there for what felt like hours drinking in the sensation of being held so securely. As she was finally drifting off to sleep herself, Lup found herself hoping they could do this more often. It was wonderful.

If falling asleep next to Lucretia had been nice, waking up beside her was even better. Lup was startled at first, her sleep-haze clinging and making it hard to remember how she wound up in Lucretia's bed. But the peaceful smile on her face, the calm breathing, the gentle embrace - it was too perfect to question. At some point they'd rolled over, Lup now holding Lucretia in her arms; how could she ever want for anything else?

She buried her face in Lucretia's hair and sighed in contentment. Just a few more minutes couldn't hurt.


	6. First Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: First Vacation. Lup and Lucretia have an excuse to get away for a little while, in the form of having to be on a cruise ship to get the Light. (Presumably it's underwater; those details aren't important, this is some sweet fluff, hush)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MORE FLUFF, I DEMAND! MORE! I hope nobody minds that these have all been pretty short, but I promise I'm working on a Big Blupcretia fic that's already, like, 7000 words and only Halfway Done At Best. So like.... shrugs

"Okay hear me out, I know this is, like, strictly a work-thing, but we've never gone on a vacation together before!" Lup said, shoving her suitcase full of clothes. "Are you excited, babe?"

Lucretia was sitting on Lup's bed, finishing up the day's journaling. "Absolutely. Have you ever been on a cruise before?"

Lup laughed. "Darling, Taako and I were starving orphans, and then wandering vagabonds, and then college students. So no. How about you?"

Closing her journal, Lucretia flashed an awkward smile. "Well, I mean, yeah, I've been on a few with my family. They were kinda wealthy, y'know? How else would an eighteen-year-old have had the resources to get into the Academy?"

Lup stared incredulous for a moment before a delighted grin spread across her face. "My Lucy was a pampered little rich girl? Is that why you're so shy?" She ruffled Lucretia's curls, cooing affectionately. "Aww, I bet you were the type to impress your tutors and play the perfect daughter while your inner-adventurer begged for a chance to wreak havoc on the world, weren't you?"

Shoving her hand away, Lucretia made a show of grimacing. "It wasn't like that!" She met Lup's intense gaze and caved. "Okay, yeah, it totally was. But it really sucked! Okay? I hated it! I've never been on a vacation with someone I loved before," she added sincerely. "It was always about making the family look good. Talking to the right people, wearing the right clothes, being seen in the right places. It was exhausting and miserable and ugh!"

Lup put an arm around her shoulders affectionately. "Babe, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking to upset you, I was just teasing." She pressed soft kisses to Lucretia's cheeks. "I hope this one's better. Our only agenda is making sure we secure the Light, and other than that, we can enjoy ourselves! You'll have to show me how it's done, being a big-time fancy cruise lady."

That made Lucretia chuckle as she squirmed under Lup's kisses. "Stop, your hair tickles!" she giggled, playfully pushing Lup away. "I have to go pack. Make sure you have one fancy dress for the ball. Any cruise worth its salt will have a big dance on the first night. It's how they get people to make connections."

The next morning as the ship started to pull out of the docks, Lup felt her stomach drop out from under her. "Lucy, what's seasickness feel like?" she moaned, dizziness and nausea overwhelming her; she closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. "Because I think it's this."

By the time the evening came, Lup was feeling more adjusted to the constant rolling feeling and was getting excited about the ball. She and Lucretia did each other's hair and makeup, pausing every few minutes to kiss and exchange whispered promises of what they would do after their social obligations were concluded. 

And as they spun around on the dance floor, gowns swirling around them, Lup wondered if this was what vacations were meant to feel like. It had been so long since they'd been able to relax given the nature of their voyage that she'd almost forgotten how to. But with Lucretia in her arms, eyes alight with love and laughter, everything else faded away. What she needed most in the whole world was already right in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow I'm still on schedule with one a day, here's to hoping I can actually successfully do all 30 without messing up!!


	7. First Shared Tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first shared tragedy. This one's a Blupcretia, technically! Barry dies early in a cycle, leaving his girlfriends to mourn him for the entire year. It's hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda struggled with this one because I made the prompt list to be Generic enough to use for most ships, but like.... Most ships don't have Repeated Tragedies Over And Over For A Century.... Also fight me, they've all got two hands, Blupcretia is The Best Shit.

It wasn't the first time they'd mourned the loss of a crewmate. It wasn't even the first time they'd mourned the loss of Barry. But it was the first time one of them died since the three of them started their unconventional relationship, and that somehow made it harder than it had ever been before.

Lup and Lucretia were laying in his bed, holding one another and sobbing. "S-so stupid," Lucretia cried for the hundredth time that day. "He always wants to be the big damn hero, and it's just not worth losing him over!"

"I know, baby, I know," Lup assured, voice raspy from crying. She hadn't been there to see it happen, but Lucretia was; he'd been trying to protect her from hostile locals, and took a hit from a poisonous arrow. By the time they'd gotten him back to the ship there wasn't anything Merle could do other than ease his passing. And now they would have to spend the entire year without their boyfriend. "He didn't save you so that we could spend this year miserable without him. He did it so that we can continue to do important work. Isn't that what he'll tell us next year when we see him again?"

Nodding, Lucretia hugged Lup tighter. "But his work is important too, and I could've taken the hit! He didn't have to, and he suffered so much, Lup!" Sobs wracked her body as she tried to get control of her breathing. "It was the worst thing I've ever seen. We've seen a lot of death, but I've never seen him in such agony, and it should've been me!"

At that, Lup gently tilted Lucretia's face up and kissed her. When she pulled back, she rested their foreheads together. "Lucy. Would he want you to feel that way? Or would he want you to know that he loves you enough to die for you? Barry knew what he was doing, babe. He did it because he didn't want you to suffer. It doesn't make losing him any easier, like, it still sucks a lot that we'll be without him for a whole fucking year, but he'll be okay."

Tears still streaming down her face, Lucretia sniffled and began to press kisses everywhere she could reach on Lup's face. "I love you so much," she choked between kisses. "I'm so tired of death. I'm sick of losing my family again and again. I just want us to be happy and together forever."

Lup rubbed her back soothingly as Lucretia climbed on top of her to lay their bodies more fully together, legs entwining. "I know it's weird, but we kinda do have forever, don't we? We'll still die a lot, and that's shitty, but we'll also always come back. Isn't that something?" She stilled Lucretia's face between her hands, petting her cheeks with her thumbs as she stared lovingly into her eyes. "Lucretia. I can't tell you to stop hurting, because you saw something pretty fucking traumatic. But I can tell you that it'll hurt less in time, and that I'm here, and soon enough Barry will be back here too."

"I just hate that we keep losing someone so early these last few years," Lucretia muttered, broken. She let her full weight rest against Lup's body, tucking her face into her collarbone. "It feels like lately we've had so little progress. And it's frustrating! I keep hoping that the next cycle will be another year like the beach year, but it never happens, and don't we deserve a little reprieve?"

Draping her arms around Lucretia's waist, Lup hummed in agreement. "We do. And we'll get it, one of these years we will, I swear. Now, what can I do to help you feel better?"

Lucretia hated that Lup felt the need to put on a strong front for her. She knew that her girlfriend was just as broken up about losing Barry as she was! And what could she possibly ask of Lup when she knew that she was grieving too? "I don't know," she settled on whispering, snuggling closer, never close enough. "Can we just lay here? His bed smells like him, and it's almost like he's here."

"Anything, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here," she answered, as much to reassure herself as Lucretia. "I love you. And Barry loves you, too. I'll bet that's the first thing he says next cycle."

When they didn't get out of bed the next day, nobody bothered them about it. Taako checked in on them to make sure they had food, but beyond that they were left to process their grief in peace. By the end of the week, they'd managed to cry enough of it out to get back to work. No time to waste, they insisted. Nobody else needed to know that at night they still returned to his room to sleep in his bed, to hold each other and sob as they mourned the temporary yet devastating loss.

Sure enough, when they returned to their recorded state at the start of the next cycle, the very first thing Barry did was pull Lup and Lucretia into an embrace. He kissed away their tears with gentle lips. "I love you girls so fucking much, I'm so sorry," he cried. "I'm here, it's okay, I'm here," he breathed, holding the two of them as close as possible.

And for the first time in a solid year, everything felt right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> since I'm doing the prompts in order the next one is almost certainly gonna be Silly, so I hope it makes up for this. but hey! today I've posted TWO, and that's Something! hmu with that feedback, friends!


	8. First Time Getting High Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: First time getting high together! The girls get some fantasy edibles and get blazed. Their chosen high activity: kisses and cuddles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the angsty one from the other day, here's some silly fluff! I could've honestly written a lot more for this one but I'm still trying to keep these to roughly 1000 words or less, but this is absolutely a concept I'd like to revisit for a proper fic ;)

"You ever smoke weed, Lucy?" Lup asked one afternoon early in their relationship. "Because it's been a while, but Taako and I used to on the road all the time. And this plane has, like, some truly dank shit."

Lucretia looked up from her sketchbook with wide eyes. "I guess I'm not surprised, but no, I haven't. But you probably could've guessed that."

Smirking, Lup plucked the sketchbook from her hands. "Excellent, then this is going to be fun! I figured you weren't the smoking type so I got some edibles for us, and we are gonna get hella blazed tonight, girl!" 

"If we aren't doing it until tonight can I have my sketchbook back?" Lucretia asked, unable to keep the grin from her face. This plane didn't seem so bad so far, in the few weeks they'd been there. It was fairly developed, diverse, had a lot of interesting stuff to draw and write about. Lucretia liked it well enough, but she would be lying if she'd said she didn't want an excuse to mellow out for a bit.

Lup stuck her tongue out at Lucretia as she set the sketchbook back down on the table. "Yeah, okay, fine, I've gotta get back to the lab with Barry anyhow. Me and the nerd have some more cool experiments to plan!"

"I'd argue you're just as big a nerd as he is," Lucretia muttered as she turned her attention back to her drawings.

"What was that, dear?" Her playful tone betrayed that she'd heard her.

Lucretia gave a wide fake smile. "Nothing at all!" she teased. "Go do your thing with Barry. I want to keep working on this while the light's good."

After dinner later that evening, Lup pulled Lucretia into her bedroom. As Lucretia made herself comfortable, Lup retrieved a bag from her closet. "Okay, so only Taako knows I got this stuff because we didn't wanna share with everyone if their weed is shitty. So I need you to tell me what you think of it, as someone who has never partaken of these kind buds."

Rolling her eyes, heart full of affection, Lucretia said, "Yes, ma'am."

"Oooh, ma'am? I like that. Anyway, here, it'll probs taste funky because of the weed but hopefully not too bad." She pulled a wrapped chocolate bar out of the bag. "One dose's worth should be around a quarter of the bar, so there's enough for us both to have plenty." She snapped it in half and handed Lucretia her portion. "Now, downside: it does take, like, an hour sometimes. So I dunno what you wanna do while we wait."

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Lucretia commented as she popped a square in her mouth. She immediately grimaced; the flavor was not great. Noticeably dank. "This had better be worth it because this isn't very good," she said, looking around for anything to drink on the off chance Lup left a glass laying around. Seeing nothing, she stood. "I need to wash this down with something." 

"Bring back chips!" Lup called after her as she headed to the kitchen for a drink.

She ran into Taako at the fridge, and he smiled. "Hey, I hear you and Lulu are up to a little fun tonight, huh?"

"Ideally," she answered as she reached past him for the jug of juice. "Not very tasty fun but I suppose it'll be a fair trade."

Taako moved to her side and grabbed a glass from the cabinet to pass to her. "Yeah it'll be like that sometimes. Just remember to tell her if you get a bad high, okay? Because that can happen and it sucks."

After quickly downing an entire glass of juice, Lucretia nodded. "Will do. Honestly, I'm just looking forward to relaxing for a bit."

"Hell yeah, dude, up top!" He raised his hand for a high five, which she obliged. "Oh, and if y'all are gonna get up to something nasty please I'm fucking begging you to cast some kinda Silence spell. Or I will absolutely come knocking."

Now thoroughly embarrassed and not wanting to dwell on what Taako may have heard in the past, she blushed, grabbed the chips as Lup requested, and rushed back to her room.

Over the next half hour, Lucretia and Lup sat cuddled up on the bed kissing lightly while gentle hands explored each other's bodies. They'd only decided a few months prior to call what they had a true relationship, and it was still all so new to them. Sure, they'd been casually intimate for a handful of years, but it was nice to remove all pretense and admit that it was born out of romantic love.

When the high set in, Lucretia became abruptly aware that her senses were altered. "Uhh, Lup? Is it supposed to be like this?" she asked, unable to be worried about the strange floating feeling quickly taking hold. "I feel like it happened really suddenly and things are feeling kinda funny."

Giggling, Lup pressed another kiss to the side of her head. "Funny how, love?" Another kiss. "Good, I hope?"

Lucretia nodded. It did feel good! Her thoughts were coming more slowly, more nebulously, but there was a strange delight running through her veins that weighed her limbs down like stones. It was like swimming through sweet honey, only the honey was inside her body. Like she was swimming inside herself? "Fuck it," she thought, "I must be high."

"Hey, I'm gonna kiss you more. It feels way better high!" Lup turned Lucretia more fully to her so that she could have a better angle. "Obviously let me know if you want me to stop," she breathed, savoring the way Lucretia's breath caught, anticipating what was to come. 

And when their lips met, Lucretia couldn't help but let out a small appreciative whine. It really did feel better high! She was completely lost in the sensation of warmth and pressure, distantly wondering if Lup always tasted so lovely. Everything else around her seemed to melt away. Her entire existence was reduced to kissing Lup, to holding her in her arms and feeling everywhere her hands could reach.

She let her fingers play with the soft hairs at the back of Lup's neck, moving slowly to pet the tips of her ears before running them along her jawline. Meanwhile, Lup's hands were caressing her back, then her shoulders, finally circling around to paw at her breasts.

"I could do that all night," Lucretia commented when they finally pulled apart to breathe.

Lup smiled, bright and full of affection. How was she always so effortlessly beautiful? "Then let's!" 

And they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit a fella up with feedback, y'all, you know it's what gets me through the day! Hope you're enjoying so far!


	9. First Time Meeting the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first time meeting each other's family. Lup and Lucretia chat after the initial meeting of the Starblaster crew, and Lup introduces her to Taako.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda difficult to make this prompt work for them given the nature of their journey, so here's some cute "oh gosh I think I have a crush" sorta flavor. I love them so much!!

Lucretia had been over the moon when she was accepted for the IPRE's most desired mission: the inaugural flight of the Starblaster. She'd excitedly told her entire family, immediately called her few friends, even wrote a thank you letter to the woman who'd taken tutored her and served as her main inspiration. Her family had celebrated that night, hosting a dinner for the whole extended family. It was an entire evening of being surrounded by questions and praises in equal measure, and it was exhausting.

When she met the rest of the crew, she'd been surprised. She recognized Magnus - they'd been in a lot of classes together at the Academy, but hadn't ever connected socially, having few overlapping friends. She recognized Merle and Barry, vaguely aware of having seen them around before. Davenport she only knew from descriptions as the fearsomely stubborn and capable gnome who was revolutionizing the Institute. 

But the twins completely struck her from left field. That they were supposedly graduate students in another department approaching their thesis defense explained their level of comradery with the older members of the crew and distance from the two young humans. They wouldn't have had time to befriend undergrads at this point. 

She'd met her fair share of elves, and was still in awe at their beauty and grace. They were so clearly a matching set, their every word and movement a perfect complement. After the initial meeting where Davenport had gathered their crew for an informal luncheon, she found herself conversing with them.

"Lucretia, right?" the female elf said, shaking her hand enthusiastically. "Lup Taaco. One of the arcane experts. Here's the other!" she said, grabbing her twin's arm as he walked by and pulling him over. "Taako. We look forward to getting to know you!"

Taako brushed her off and scoffed. "Speak for yourself. I'm sure we'll get along well enough, but this mission isn't about friendship. But I do gotta say, your resume must be pretty impressive. Lucretia, right?" He shook her hand with less enthusiasm before leaning in to whisper conspiratorially, "Watch out for Lup, you're exactly her type and she's relentless when she picks a target."

Unfortunately for him, Lup heard and blushed, shoving him away. "Okay, Taako, thanks for the shitty input, leave now please thank you!" He didn't put up a fight, laughing as she turned back to Lucretia, blushing. "Ignore him. Siblings, am I right?"

Lucretia smiled. "Oh, I know," she said. "I've got plenty. You?"

"Just the one, but he's a handful," Lup said. 

From a few feet away she heard Taako insert, "Hey, I'm a fucking delight!"

Though Lucretia giggled, Lup ignored him. "Anyway, since we're the only two ladies on board I figured we should have a chat. I know there was some pretty heavy screening before any of us got the offer, so, like, I'm sure nobody here is gonna be dangerous, but still. Y'know."

It took Lucretia a moment to put together what she meant; she'd been so excited about the mission opportunity that it hadn't occurred to her to be wary of spending several months in a confined space with strangers. "Oh," was all she said.

"Yeah, big 'oh!' How are you in a fight, if it came down to it?"

"Uhh, probably bad, to be honest," Lucretia admitted sheepishly. 

Lup nodded. "No offense, but I figured. Okay, so, like, if any of the guys give you any looks that bug you, you come to me and I swear their asses will be on fire before you're even done talking. Sound good?"

It was weirdly touching, Lucretia thought. "I doubt that will be necessary, but thank you."

Taako had at that point wandered back over. "I mean, same offer here, to be honest. I'd hold off trusting these fellas until we get to know them better. You never know, and all that." He dramatically extended his hand again as if meeting her for the first time. "Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me. Hello, I'm Taako, the better looking twin. I see you've met my darling sister, Lup. She's very transparent, so it's my duty to warn you that you've caught her eye, you see, and she thinks you're very pretty, so--"

"Oh my gods, Taako, go away!" Lup pulled him away from Lucretia who was chuckling, a faint blush starting to creep over her cheeks. Taako cackled as he walked away, this time out of earshot. "Well, I guess it's time to mingle with the others, huh?"

"Lovely to meet you both," Lucretia said, and she meant it. They were charismatic, charming, easy to talk to, all of the things that Lucretia was worried she was not. And even hearing Taako tease that Lup thought she was pretty made her heart flutter, true or not. If she was being honest, Lup was exactly her type, too; that spelled trouble. Whether it would be good or bad trouble remained to be seen. Only time would tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Protective Lup is, like, The Best. Hope you enjoyed this one! Let me know!


	10. First Time Getting Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: First time one of them gets sick. Lup is incredibly sick, and Lucretia takes care of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, my editing job finally started so if I fall behind on this I promise it's for a good reason. Hopefully I can juggle both, though, since it's only part time for now. Anyway. Thanks for reading!

In all their years, Lucretia had never seen Lup get sick before. It seemed wrong, somehow, to see her girlfriend laid up in bed with a fever, coughing and wheezing with little reprieve. Something about this plane didn't agree with her and Taako, and the both of them had been made ill every time they set foot off the ship. 

"This is the last time you leave the ship this year, honey," Lucretia said as she sat on the edge of the bed. She set a glass of water on the bedside table along with a handful of pills. "Merle says these will help reduce the fever and suppress the cough, and one of them should be for pain, too. You'll probably feel pretty sleepy, but it's better to rest." She reached out to brush sweaty hair from Lup's forehead, a twinge of sympathy striking her heart at the pathetic look in Lup's eyes.

"I don't wanna," Lup rasped, letting out a weak cough. "Too much work. Too busy."

Lucretia sighed. Of course Lup was being stubborn. "Sweetheart, no, you're going to lay here and sleep, and when you feel better in a few days you'll be allowed back in the lab. You don't wanna get Barry sick, do you?"

Shaking her head, Lup immediately grabbed the water and started taking the pills. She grimaced. "What about you? I don't want you sick either."

"Then who would take care of you?" She put a finger over Lup's lips to stop her from responding. "I don't wanna hear it. You and Taako are on house arrest - captain's orders. He's making soup for the two of you, and when it's done I'm going to bring you a mug of it, and you're going to drink it. Okay?"

Lup tried to nod, but had to close her eyes from the dizziness; she groaned. "This sucks."

"I know, that's why I'm here to help. Is there anything you'd like before dinner? A cool rag for your face? More water? Any extra pillows or blankets?"

With a loopy grin, Lup reached out for Lucretia with both hands. "First I want a hug." She pulled her down to her chest in an embrace; Lucretia could hear how labored her breathing was. "Can I have a cool rag? My face is on fire," she whispered. "Love you, baby."

Smoothing her hair away from her face again, Lucretia couldn't help but smile softly. "Of course. I love you, too. Be right back with that rag, dear." She exited the room and ran into Barry in the hallway; he looked concerned. "How's Taako?" she asked right away, placing a hand on his arm.

Barry, startled, pulled his arm away. "Sorry, reflex. Uh, he's okay. He's pretty pissed that Davenport is grounding them, but, like, it's better than this, right?" He pulled off his glasses and began to clean them on his shirt. "How about Lup?"

"She's pretty miserable about it, too. It seems like a hell of a flu, but I'm sure with enough rest and medication they'll be fine, right?" Her resolve was finally cracking; she was worried, and it was evident in her voice. This was the third time this cycle that the twins were sick, and they'd only been here for 6 weeks. Each time it lasted close to a week, and then they'd avoid going outside for a few days. Now it was clear that there was a pattern.

Sighing, Barry shrugged. "Unfortunately, we don't really have a way of knowing. They'd gotten better the other times, but we still don't know why it's only affecting them. I mean I guess we kinda do? It's clearly an elf thing? But why?" He ran his fingers through his hair, making it stand on end; he looked haggard. "Merle says it should be fine, and he's the doctor so I guess that's as much assurance as we'll be getting."

Lucretia took a step toward Barry and gave him a quick hug. "At least they're still alive, right?" Pulling away, she forced a smile. "I have to go get a cold rag for poor Lup. Anything I can grab for Taako while I'm at it?"

"Nah, thanks though. He just yelled at me to leave him alone in his misery so that's what I'm doing," he said with a laugh.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." They parted ways, and when Lucretia got back to Lup's room, rag in hand, she was relieved to see her already asleep. She pressed a soft kiss to Lup's forehead before laying the rag across it, careful to avoid dripping any water into her ears. Lup stirred but didn't wake; Lucretia let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"Thank you love you so much Lucy you're great and you're pretty and I love you," Lup mumbled in a hazy slur, hand blindly groping for one of Lucretia's to hold.

Lucretia obliged, squeezing her hand to let her know she was there. "I love you, too. Of course. Do you want me to stay here with you until the soup's done?" Lup nodded. "Okay. Get some rest, sweetheart. I'm here."

If all she could do was provide small comforts while Lup recovered, she would - and gladly. Anything for the girl she loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always wonder if anyone reads the notes. I sometimes do, but idk about other folks. I hope you have a good day. You're a lovely person, and I want you to be happy. I mean, unless you're a turd, I guess. But what do I know?


	11. First Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: First Meeting (from long distance). After spending a cycle apart with only their stones of farspeech, Lup and Lucretia are thrilled to be reunited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm the one who made the prompt list but this one wasn't really applicable, like, at all, so I fudged it a bit. Whatever, right? I make the rules here and I say it's fine lmao

For the majority of the cycle, Lucretia had been halfway around the world with Magnus and Merle, separated from the rest of the crew. They'd split up, hoping to scour more of the planet, which was completely uninhabited aside from some animal life. Of course they called the ship with their stones at least once a day to check in, but it was still a long time to reduce their already small social circle even further.

"I can't wait to see you again, babe," Lup said to Lucretia one day, voice small. "It's been so quiet without Mags around, but I miss you the most." She said this almost every day; it never stopped hurting Lucretia's heart to hear her heart laid bare so openly, yet so far away.

"I miss you too. How is everyone?"

Lup chuckled. "Oh, y'know, Taako's getting a little stir-crazy, but that just means he's been transmuting some wild shit to cook with to stay distracted. Barry's pretty sure he's got an idea where the Light is, but we're waiting for another experiment to finish, uhh… I guess cooking? Is the best word for it?" 

With a fond smile, Lucretia replied, "From what I know about what you two get up to, that sounds about right. Do you want me to put the others on the line?"

"No, that's okay, I just wanted to talk to my pretty girlfriend."

Lucretia giggled, blushing faintly. "That's fair. I'd better get going before she shows up!"

"Hey, mean! You're obviously the pretty girlfriend, hon!" 

"Oh, how sweet of you, I never would've guessed."

In the background she heard Taako say, "Stop flirting in the common room or I'm gonna vomit in your pillowcase."

Lup must have put her stone down, as Lucretia heard her muffled reply, "That's fucking gross! Just let me have this!" She picked the stone back up. "Ugh, I gotta go. Talk to you tomorrow! Bye!" A click. Then silence.

It was a long year.

The day the Hunger arrived, they were still separated. Lucretia, Magnus, and Merle fought as hard as they could until they were pulled away by the strange force keeping them alive. The sensation of shifting to their recorded state would never stop being uncomfortably foreign. Clenching her eyes shut while she got her bearings, Lucretia almost toppled over when Lup's arms flung around her neck.

"Welcome home!" Lup exclaimed, squeezing her tight and peppering her face with kisses.

Lucretia hugged her back, every inch of her body tingling with relief at their reunion. "It's nice to be home," she answered, grinning as she buried her face into Lup's hair. "I missed you so much, I missed this, I missed us."

With a wicked glint in her eyes, Lup pulled back to fix Lucretia with a focused stare. "I can think of some other things I missed," she suggested, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Wanna come back to my room so I can show you?"

It was good to be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I do this for y'all as much as for myself. We deserve wlw content, and I aim to deliver.


	12. First Care Package

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: First Care Package! Post-finale, when Lup, Barry, and Taako are all living together, Lucretia sends a care package to her husband and wife while she's out helping the rebuilding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long distance Blupcretia, you say? Yes, absolutely, totally here for it. Am I maybe projecting a little bit because I'm still long distance with my partner for another month? Also yes, absolutely, totally.

"Lulu! Barold! Package!" Taako called, hefting a box through the doorway. "It's from your favorite girl!"

Lup appeared first, head poking around the corner from the kitchen. "Lucy sent a package?! That's so cute!" She ran out to where Taako still stood and took the box from his arms. "Oof, what the hell did she send?" Turning her head back towards their kitchen, she shouted, "Hey, babe, come see what Lucy sent us!"

Though he shook his head as if exasperated, Taako was smiling. "You two have fun with that. I was just stopping home for a bit before I head back to the school, so if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to your dirty presents."

After setting the box on the floor, Lup brought a hand to her chest to suggest injury. "I can't believe you would ever think our wife would send us something dirty! You know us better than that!"

"Ch'yeah, I do, duh. Bet you ten gold there's at least one weird dildo in the box."

"I bet you twenty there isn't," Lup said, eyes glinting.

Barry walked in before Taako could respond. "Lucretia sent us something?" he asked.

Lup motioned for him to join her where she was seated on the floor, not caring that they were now blocking the hallway. Taako stepped around them with muttered half-hearted swears, and they ignored him. 

Once opened, they saw a letter on top. In Lucretia's elegant penmanship, it read:

"My Dearest Lup & Barry,

I trust this will find you in good health, seeing as mortal concerns aren't much of an issue for you these days. I've been missing you both terribly, but know that our separation is only temporary. We have important work to do, just like the old days, don't we? I suppose you could track me down and visit rather easily, all things considered, but I wanted to surprise you with this! And you wouldn't begrudge an old woman her sentiments, would you?

Do drop by sometime. I love you, always and forever.

Most Sincerely Yours, Lucretia"

"Aw, she's so sweet," Lup said as she passed the letter to Barry. "Let's see what she sent!"

The first item she pulled from the box was a journal that resembled those Lucretia had chronicled their mission in. Exchanging a wary glance, they let it fall open to the title page, which elaborated that it was a journal she kept after the redaction for the purpose of giving to them after it all.

"Oh my gods, that's so like her," Barry chuckled, running a finger down the page. "We ought to read this later. What else is in the box?"

They pulled out a jar containing spices grown locally to where Lucretia was staying, a tiny notebook filled with pressed flowers meticulously labeled, and various colorful tchotchkes with a note that simply read "For your new home!"

Wiping a tear from her eye, Lup looked over at Barry. "Oh, babe, we gotta go see her soon!"

It was nice to be reminded that even with distance keeping them apart, their love had not diminished in the least. They embraced, hearts full, and quickly repacked the box to get out of Taako's way as he came back down the hallway.

Needless to say, there was no dildo, Lup noted. She wasn't disappointed, but she would never pass up a chance to win a bet with Taako!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've redacted all mentions of my tumblr username from all my fic notes in a fit of paranoia, sorry folks, I still wanna be friends but I also Don't want to be found by my abuser so like lmao


	13. First Day Moving In Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: First day moving in together! Post-finale, Lucretia moves into the house that is shared by Barry, Lup, Taako, and Kravitz. She's nervous, because it's been so long since they've lived together, but her partners know what to say to ease her fears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's safe to assume that any post-finale ficlets are gonna be Blupcretia, and anything that's later in the Stolen Century. I personally headcanon that Lup and Lucretia got together WAY before Barry and Lup did, so that's why. I get it if it's not everyone's thing, but like, shrug maybe some of y'all will find it IS your thing?

Two years since the day of Story and Song, and Lucretia was finally satisfied that rebuilding efforts were going well enough that she could rest for a while. There was enough infrastructure in place that her Bureau could continue doing the work that needed to be done while she thought about her own future. It was a long time coming, she thought, but perhaps settling down was still something she'd be able to do in this life.

"Well, what if you moved in with us?" Lup had suggested. "It's a big enough house for there to be five of us, six when Ango's around. We would love to have you, babe, you know that."

Lucretia had promised to think about it, and she did, for a long time. Should she leave the moonbase that had been her home for over a decade? She'd grown rather fond of the dome she dwelled in, but now that she had a way to quickly get back to the base if needed, it wasn't strictly necessary to stay there. Lup or Barry or even Kravitz could simply use their Reaper scythes to get her there almost instantly.

The day that she was finally ready to move in with them, she had butterflies in her stomach; she chastised herself. Butterflies? Really? Even if she didn't look her age, she was still a woman in her fifties, and here she was getting nervous like a blushing bride! How many decades was she married to Barry and Lup? And how many years had they lived together on the Starblaster? This shouldn't be so nerve-wracking!

As they all helped her bring her possessions in, she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. This wasn't just moving back in with her dearest loves: this was moving into a house. Unlike the moonbase or the Starblaster, a house wasn't in constant motion. Its location was fixed, which meant it was easy to locate. But on the other hand, it didn't need to be protected from unseen evils, nor did it ever have the danger of crashing. A house was so much more permanent than anything she'd had in well over a century.

"This is so exciting!" Lup cheered, grabbing Lucretia by the hands and spinning around with her. "My lovely Lucy is finally home!" With a delighted giggle, she pulled her in for a hug. "You're going to love it here, I promise. It'll be like old times, but better!"

Lucretia stroked Lup's hair, every inch of her warm with love for the radiant elf in her arms. "I couldn't be happier," she said. And it was true. "Look, I know that with all things considered, we've had so much more time than we ever would have. And it's been the greatest blessing of my life, loving you. So I want you to know, Lup, just how grateful I am to spend the rest of my life with you and Barry." Tears were in her eyes as she continued. "You two have eternity; I don't, not anymore. So… Thank you."

At that moment Barry came out of the bedroom, having deposited a suitcase by the closet, and wrapped his arms around them when he noticed they were crying. "Hey, come on now, ladies, what's wrong? Today's a happy day!"

"I know," Lucretia admitted, sniffling as she let herself be squished between her partners. "Some of it really is happy tears, but I don't know, I'm just a little overwhelmed, I guess." She took a shuddering breath.

Lup tilted her chin up and pressed their lips together. "Baby, let's not have sad discussions about death today, okay? Let's celebrate the fact that for the first time in entirely too long, the three of us will be sharing a bed again! And I, for one, am looking forward to waking up to your pretty face every day!"

"I think it goes without saying that I am too," Barry added. "The death talk can wait. For now let's get you unpacking while Taako cooks lunch, and then we'll take a bit of a break before we go pick up the rest of your stuff. Sound good?"

Her whole body relaxed, their reassurances easing her tension. They were right, after all. Today should be a happy day! Swallowing her fears, she let herself smile, heart glowing. "That sounds lovely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I didn't mean for this one to get Heavy near the end, but I've been letting these little pieces go in whatever direction feels natural so I guess that's where I'm at... As always, thank you for reading!!! hmu fam!!!


	14. First Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: First adventure! During the third cycle, Lup and Lucretia take off on their own to explore the strange jungle wilds of the newest plane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for the pre-relationship cutesy shit that lays the foundation for what they have later!! Just some Gals being Pals, if you will. I love them, and I hope you do too!!

Nervously zipping her backpack shut, Lucretia took a steadying breath. "Are you sure we're good to go by ourselves, Lup?" It was their third year of traveling together, and so far when they wanted to chase a lead they would all go. "Won't the captain be mad?"

Lup waved her hand dismissively, shouldering her own backpack and pulling a piece of paper from her pocket. "We'll leave a note. I already told Taako, and he won't narc us. Besides, it's just a few days of hiking to see if my triangulation method is viable! If the Light is there, cool! If not, we come back. No biggie!" She slung an arm around Lucretia's shoulder. "And c'mon, you can't say you haven't been wanting a little Girl Time."

Lifting her bag from the dresser, Lucretia smiled. "Okay, you're right about that. Obviously nothing against the boys - I love them. But sneaking away from home like teenagers sounds too fun."

"That's my Lucy!" Lup exclaimed. "Good to see you loosening up a bit!" A pause. "Aren't you kinda still a teenager though?"

"I mean, I guess only technically? I was nineteen when we left, but I don't think it's fair to say I'm still nineteen. Is it?"

Lup shrugged. "Who the hell knows? It's all relative anyway. But c'mon, let's get going!"

The next day was spent hiking through verdant wilds filled with jewel-toned plants, fragrant mosses, and birds whose songs Lucretia wished she could record for the rest of the crew. The light of the suns barely filtered through the canopy above, making the sparse clearings glow all the more brightly. They stopped a few times for Lucretia to take sketches, occasionally grabbing samples of smaller flowers or leaves to press between the pages of one of her books.

By the end of the second day, Lucretia missed the ship's shower. At this rate even if they turned back now, it would be another two days before they arrived. They made a small campfire by the bank of a river and laid out their sleeping bags.

"This has been fun, wouldn't you say?" offered Lup, warming her hands over the flames. "Exhausting as fuck, but fun!"

Lucretia nodded with a sigh as she slid under the cover of her sleeping bag. They'd set up wards so that both of them could sleep at the same time and avoid the stress of needing to stand watch, but she was still wary. "I've never done anything like this before. Hiking in the wilderness, I mean. I've gone camping with my family, but it was always a controlled sort of thing, y'know?"

"Taako and I lived on the road most of our lives, so this is about as comfortable as I get," Lup admitted, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Oh, did your parents travel a lot?"

Flashing a brief sad smile, Lup shook her head. "Nah, they died when we were real little. We were tossed around between relatives until they all got sick of us, and then it was just us against the world. Eventually we were able to land a gig with a caravan, cooking for them and whatever, and things weren't so bad."

"Oh my g-- I'm sorry, I--"

"Didn't know? It's okay, we haven't talked about it. Not exactly normal dinner conversation." Lup chuckled and brushed her hair behind her ear, moving to lay in her own sleeping bag beside Lucretia. "It seems silly now, seeing as we've outrun the apocalypse twice. Do you think we'll have to do it again?"

It was a question they all had. Was it a coincidence that it had happened twice? Or was there a pattern? They saw the Light fall again, and this time they were determined to get it. Would they? Would it even matter if they did? Was that the key to stopping this madness, or would it make no difference at all?

"I know you want to hear me say that we're safe now. I know we all want the reassurance of a world that won't fall apart around us again. And I know we're scared. But Lup? I think we're gonna have to do it until we figure out how to stop it ourselves." Lucretia reached over for Lup's hand to hold in her own. "We're going to stick together until we have this all solved. We're all we've got left, right? I hope it isn't strange to say, but it's been a few years so…"

Lup squeezed her and back. "No, I know. We're a family now. And that means we're in this together. We'll beat this thing, whatever it is, I'm sure of it." She yawned. "Ready for some sleep? I want us marching by dawn!"

The next day they stumbled upon a village deep in the jungle and after some initial difficulties communicating were able to work out that they had in fact seen the Light fall a few days' hike away. Once they got as much information as they could, Lup and Lucretia decided it was time to head back to the Starblaster. They didn't have enough supplies to extend their adventure another week, but at the very least, they could get the ship closer to the Light and grab it soon after. Better than risking starvation in the wilds.

The trip back felt less exhausting, Lucretia thought. Her and Lup laughed more, sang songs together, held hands. They put flowers in each other's hair, and danced around the fire at night. Perhaps it was the hope that the Light would bring answers, or perhaps just the joy of escapism, but Lucretia was happier than she'd been in months.

And sure, at first everyone was pissed at them for taking off, but once they heard the good news it was a totally different story. Lucretia was grateful for Lup's bravery; she would never have thought to venture out on her own like that, but she had to admit that it was kinda nice. She hoped they could do it again soon, just the two of them. More "Girl Time," or whatever Lup had called it. Wouldn't that be nice?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every day I post one of these I wanna kick myself like an hour later because I go "oh I meant to say x in the notes" and of course right now I don't remember what it is I've been meaning to say. Such is life, I guess, or whatever.


	15. First Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: First accident. Lup breaks something precious of Lucretia's and tries her best to fix it to avoid upsetting her girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know most of these are single scenes that are very simple but any of them may wind up becoming full pieces later so like... If there are any in particular you like let me know? Because those are the ones I'm more likely to focus my attentions on when I finish other WIPs

Shit. She needed to fix this before Lucretia found out, or she'd be devastated. Lup stared with mounting panic at the mess of broken glass at her feet, guilt strangling her throat. She'd accidentally bumped into Lucretia's dresser while grabbing something from her room, and Lucretia's snow-globe had just fallen and shattered.

It was so precious to her, a memento from their homeworld containing a tiny replica of the Institute's main hall in winter. There wasn't any way it could ever be replaced, and Lup felt horrible. She could use a cantrip to mend the broken glass, sure, but that wouldn't put the fake snow back inside or refill it with liquid.

Deciding it was better than nothing, she quickly grabbed a towel to soak up as much of the liquid as possible so that she could gather the fake snow into a small pile. Then, carefully she deposited as much of it as she could onto the base of the snow-globe, covering the miniature Institute building with it. After that she used a mending cantrip to meld the glass back together neatly as if nothing had happened; if it weren't for the conspicuous lack of fluid inside, she knew her accident would never be discovered.

"What are you doing, babe?" 

Lup practically jumped out of her skin. She looked up guiltily from where she was seated on the floor. "It was an accident, I swear," she quickly answered, deciding it was best to be honest. "I was looking for my book and I knocked it off the dresser and it broke and I tried to fix it, I'm so sorry!" It all came out in a rush, her lower lip trembling in frustration.

Sitting beside her, Lucretia gingerly picked up the snow-globe. She noticed the wet towel, the errant bits of fake snow; she also noticed how perfect the glass looked. "Oh, honey, it's okay, accidents happen," she reassured, laying a hand on Lup's knee. "I'm sure there's a way we can refill it, and if not, thank you for fixing it anyway."

"You're not mad at me? Even though it's, like, one of the last pieces of home you have?"

"I can't be mad about an accident that you did your best to repair," Lucretia said, setting the globe aside.

Lup groaned. "But I feel terrible! I should've been paying closer attention to what I was doing but I was in a rush, and this could've easily been avoided and--"

"Lup. Darling. It's okay, I promise," Lucretia insisted, pressing a finger to Lup's lips. "There's bigger things to worry about, and even if there weren't, accidents happen." Her eyes were the only part of her that betrayed her underlying hurt; she would never tell Lup that she was upset about it, but it was clear as day that she was. "Do you think we could get Magnus to help drill a small hole in the glass? Then we can refill it and you can mend it shut. Would that work?"

Nodding, Lup averted her eyes. She couldn't stand how compassionate Lucretia could be sometimes! She should be angry! 

"I really am sorry," she reiterated.

"I know, dear. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset at all, but it's definitely not as big a deal as you're scared it is." Lucretia stood and pulled Lup up with her. "C'mon, let's go see where Mags is and finish fixing this together!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depression is kicking my ass today so it's kind of a short one but I still got it done, dang it. Back to whatever it is I do until tomorrow, I suppose. Be good, y'all.


	16. First Time Getting Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first time getting lost! Lup and Lucretia are exploring a city in a new plane and weren't paying attention to where they were going. The others will worry if they don't get back to the ship soon!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a fluffy one! I love these sweet girls!

"Babe, do you have any idea where we are?"

"Ehhh……." Lup looked around and shrugged. "I thought you were keeping track?"

Lucretia also glanced around. "I thought you were," she admitted. It was their first day exploring this city, hoping to get a feel for the area they would be spending the next year of their lives. Both ladies had been paying so much attention to the details around them that they'd failed to keep track of which streets they'd wandered. "Okay, let's just ask someone for directions, it can't be too hard, right?"

"But how do we ask for directions if we don't even know where we're trying to go?" Lup pointed out. "It's not like we picked a rendezvous point. We just told everyone we'd be back by sundown!" She pulled her stone of farspeech out of her bag. "Don't panic. Okay. Deep breath. I'll just call Taako and have him guide us back!"

Lucretia grimaced. "How? He doesn't know where we currently are any more than we do!"

They stared at each other hopelessly for a moment before sighing.

"Okay so maybe we're fucked and we're gonna have to just…. wander around in the generally opposite direction we're currently going? And hopefully eventually we stumble on the edge of the city and find the ship?" She held the stone up to her ear as it called her brother. When he answered, Lup exhaled sharply. "Hey, uhh, let the others know we may not be back for a while. We're kind of lost. And by kind of I mean extremely."

Putting her face in her palms, Lucretia listened as Lup gave Taako vague excuses for how they wound up in their situation. When she hung up, Lucretia put a hand on her shoulder. "Darling. I love you. You know this. But this right here?" She gestured around them. "This sucks."

Lup laughed. "Yeah, it sure does. But it's okay, we'll make it back. Eventually." She grabbed Lucretia by the hand and led her back down the road they'd been walking. "That café is definitely familiar," she said hopefully.

"Lup we literally just turned around, I should hope it's familiar."

"Oh c'mon babe, I'm just trying to lighten the mood." She paused at the street corner. There were a lot of people at the intersection, noisy vehicles crowding the street. "Which way d'you think we came at this from? Did we turn here?"

Lucretia squinted to read a sign in the distance; she pointed towards it. "I'm positive we went past that gaudy marquis sign at that theater-looking-building. I remember thinking that I wanted to see what shows they had at some point."

"Ooh good idea, I bet this place has some baller night life!" Lup dragged Lucretia across the street, heedless of the vehicles which threatened to mow them down. Hand in hand they tried their best to trace their steps, finding themselves on the outskirts of the city well after moonrise. It was hard to tell what time of day it was due to all the streetlamps and ambient lighting from the buildings, much of it neon and multi-colored.

Yet despite the thinning buildings, there was no sign of the ship in the distance. "We may want to call them again. They may have started searching for us by now," Lucretia commented.

That made Lup laugh. "Nah, Taako thought it was hilarious that we're lost, there's no way anyone comes looking. At least as long as we make it back before tomorrow." Concern briefly flashed across her face. "We should be able to make it back before tomorrow, right?"

"I hope so," Lucretia answered. "Maybe we just find somewhere to rest, and then we can call them with an address tomorrow morning. Then someone can get directions to us and ideally pay better attention to how to get back." She pointed to a building down the street. "That looks like a hotel, if we wanna be fancy about it. Do you still have the coins Taako gave you?"

Lup nodded and fished a fistful of money from her pocket. As was customary when they entered a new plane, Taako would transmute any leftover money from the previous year into whatever currency looked like in their new temporary residence. It was convenient, if a bit unethical. "Think it's enough for a room? It's just one night, and we only need one bed."

"Honestly? I'm so tired that I'm willing to try just about anything for a chance at sleeping some time in the next day. I'm not like you elves who can get away with meditation instead. My frail human body has needs." Lucretia was smiling, only gently teasing. She tugged Lup's hand. "C'mon, let's go see if there's a room available. If there is, call your brother."

"He's gonna complain so much," Lup said with a giggle. "But, like, for real? It's been fun exploring with you, babe. Even if we have no fucking idea where we are."

Lucky for them, there was a room available; as they sighed, falling together onto the bed, Lucretia curled up with her face on Lup's chest. "I'm just happy to spend time with you," she murmured, breathing out a sigh of relief. "Besides, worse things have happened."

"True, that," Lup agreed, pulling Lucretia closer. "They can complain all they want. It looks like we're in for a fun year for once. I foresee a lot of hustling people at pool for me and Taako. Maybe dancing at clubs." She yawned. "Maybe we'll get to pretend we're normal people this year, if we find the Light quick enough."

Humming in agreement, Lucretia savored the way Lup's heart beat under her cheek, the way her chest rose and fell with each breath. "I love you," she whispered. "I'm glad it's you I'm lost with. Wouldn't want to be with anyone else."

"Love you too, babe. Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up." Lup pressed a kiss to the top of her head, squeezing her tight.

For what should have been a stressful situation, Lucretia was strangely at peace. Anything that led her to Lup's arms couldn't be all that bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully folks are still enjoying these. I know they're not all Winners, but like, statistically, Someone is gonna like Each of them so I'm not too worried. I like them, anyway, so....


	17. First Birthday Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first birthday together! Lup surprises Lucretia with a birthday cake and a walk through the wildflowers. They flirt and kiss. They're very in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm falling behind, it'll keep happening because I'm stepping out of town for a few days soon and then moving the week after that, so like.... shrugs. There's no canon birthdays for them so It's My City Now.

"Happy birthday!" Lup shouted as she burst into Lucretia's bedroom, startling the other woman awake. Before Lucretia could protest, Lup was singing her a Happy Birthday song as she danced across the room with a large wrapped present cradled in her arms.

"Are you done?" Lucretia asked with a laugh as Lup sat on the edge of her bed.

"Yup!" She presented the box. "For you! Don't shake it!" she insisted, fear flashing in her eyes.

Raising an eyebrow, Lucretia gingerly unwrapped and opened the box to reveal an elaborately decorated cake. It resembled one of her journals, but covered in delicate flowers made of frosting. It had her name piped across the length where the journal's label would typically be.

She set the box on the nightstand and threw her arms around Lup. "It's beautiful! Thank you!" She was beaming. They all tried not to make such a big deal out of birthdays on the ship, since they weren't aging and no two planes kept track of dates exactly the same which made it difficult. In fact, she couldn't say for sure if it actually was her birthday, but it was surely close enough, within a few days at worst. 

Lup kissed her. "Of course it's beautiful, babe, it was made by the two best chefs you've ever met. Baking is more my thing than Taako's, but he's got more of the artistic vision, so it evens out." She winked. "Now, I dunno if you wanna have cake for breakfast - you totally can, literally none of us would judge, babe - but we assumed you probably wouldn't? So there's an extra special meal waiting for you in the kitchen if you're hungry!"

Smiling, Lucretia let herself be pulled off the bed and led out in her pajamas. As soon as they rounded the corner, a chorus of "Happy birthday, Lucretia!" rang out from the kitchen.

Now she was blushing as she sat down, letting Taako serve her a plate piled high with breakfast foods. "I thought we all agreed to keep birthdays low-key!" she protested.

"Yeah, well, Lup said you've been really down lately, so we figured this would be a good way to help with that," Magnus said as he passed her the syrup. "We love you, Lucretia. It's important that you know that."

Barry was sitting on her other side and reached up to ruffle her hair affectionately. "Besides, I don't think you'd catch any of us missing out on an excuse to celebrate," he added, pressing a glass of juice into her hands. "Is there anything you wanna do today? Anywhere you wanna go?"

Lucretia was speechless. This was her first birthday since she'd started officially dating Lup, and it was only the third time that the crew had ever officially celebrated the event with her. They'd all kept track the first few cycles, but quickly gave up on having any actual parties. "I think I just want to relax, to be honest," she said after a few moments of thought. "A day off sounds fantastic. It doesn't need to be exciting." She shrugged.

They teased her, but didn't protest. After breakfast, Lup insisted she take Lucretia on a walk through a nearby meadow. When dressed, they departed, hand in hand; Lucretia brought the journal reserved for pressing flowers.

"I know you said you wanted to relax so I hope this isn't too much work," Lup said as they walked. The hum of honeybees was thrumming in the air, a gentle breeze rustling the flowers around them.

Lucretia plucked a particularly bright bloom for her book and shook her head. "No, this is perfect. I get to spend time with my darling girlfriend, I get to be out in the sun, there's fresh air, it smells like flowers. I couldn't ask for more." Smiling, she selected another bloom and tucked it behind Lup's ear. "How'd you know this was exactly what I needed?"

Now it was Lup's turn to smile as she covered Lucretia's hand with her own, pinning it to the side of her face. She turned her head enough to press a kiss to Lucretia's wrist. "Because it's my job as your girlfriend to find ways to make you as happy as possible, especially on special occasions?"

Lucretia giggled, blush rising as her heart raced. "Oh come on, don't call it a job like it's an obligation. Just admit that you're secretly a romantic sap."

Instead of kiss her wrist again, Lup made a sound as she stuck her tongue out and licked her. "Never in a million years, babe," she teased. "But you're right. It isn't an obligation. I want to make you happy, so I pay attention to when you're feeling down so I can do whatever to help." She tugged Lucretia towards a large flat rock for them to sit on. "And I think making out in a field of wildflowers in spring is probably, like, pretty high up on the list of things that would cheer my darling Lucy up, so obviously I had to."

"Well, when you put it that way, it would be a shame to waste any more time," Lucretia lilted, sliding her hand to cradle the back of Lup's head. "I wouldn't want to ruin your carefully laid plans."

"You better watch your words, love, or my plans won't be the only thing being carefully laid." Lup leaned in to kiss her before she could respond.

It was the happiest birthday she'd ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry about having to remove any mentions of my tumblr url from all my fic notes, I've got an unpleasant person to avoid. I still wanna be buds tho. Anyway, hope everyone's doing well. Give a fella some feedback?


	18. First Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first anniversary! Lucretia is worried about making a big deal of the occasion, given the stress of the mission. Lup already made plans. They have a chat and some kisses about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Folks, I'm gonna be trying my best to update this because I'm so close to done with the prompt list, but like... I'm moving in just over a week and life's a bit wild right now. So I hope this is satisfactory in the meantime.

Was it an odd thing to keep track of, given the nature of their arrangement? Wouldn't it be weirder to ignore it entirely, though? Lucretia was fretting about their anniversary for the entire week leading up to it, uncertain how much reverence the day should get. It was going to be their very first together, and that felt special! But dates were so arbitrary now in their constant shuffling between planes that it also felt like it should be inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

But it's not inconsequential at all, Lucretia thought. Sure, one whole year out of the many they'd been traveling didn't feel like a particularly long time, but being with Lup was the happiest she'd ever been. After several years of casual intimacy - cuddles that led to kisses, kisses that led to sex, sex that led to silence - they'd finally put a name to their feelings. 

And what a catharsis it had been, to finally be able to say "I'm in love with you" to her face and have her respond in kind! Lucretia had begun to think she'd only ever whisper it while Lup slept, expression the very picture of relaxation and contentment. What a joy she had felt in that first kiss after their confession, their love no longer hidden behind a mile of pretense. 

So she wanted to celebrate their mutual decision to share in such a joyous love.

"What's on your mind, dear?" Lup asked, having walked in on Lucretia pacing her bedroom the night before their anniversary. "You're looking a bit restless."

Lucretia stopped in her tracks, startled. "Yes! A bit!" she answered, perhaps a bit sharper than intended, before sighing. "Tomorrow is a special day, isn't it?"

At that, Lup's concern melted away, replaced with the wicked glint she got in her eyes when she knew a game was afoot. "Maybe," she cooed in her most obnoxious sing-song voice. 

She shouldn't have expected any other response, really; Lucretia chuckled. "Okay, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't weird that I remembered. We haven't really, y'know, talked about it? So I didn't want to make a big deal of the day if you didn't want me to."

Lup crossed the room and took Lucretia's hands in her own. "Aw, Lucy, that's very considerate of you. But, like, for real? Just spending the day with you is enough. And d'you wanna know a secret?" When Lucretia nodded, Lup leaned in, pressed a kiss to her cheek, and whispered, "I asked Capn'port for the day off last week. You and I are off the hook for any serious business tomorrow!"

Her heart swelled with affection at that; Lucretia threw her arms around Lup and pulled her tight to her chest. "I love you so much, and I just want us to be happy," she murmured.

"Of course," Lup answered, peppering more kisses across Lucretia's hair. "I may have a thing or two planned already, if you wanted to add anything to the day's agenda." When Lucretia started giggling, Lup leaned back in her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Wanna share what's funny about planning our anniversary date, you adorable dork?"

Smiling, Lucretia's eyes softened. "You're gonna think this is ridiculous. But I was so worried that it was weird of me to be keeping track of how long we've been together down to the exact date. Between the mission, how inconsistent calendars and time in general are for us nowadays, and the fact that I don't actually know if elven culture cares about that stuff at all, I was getting kinda worked up about it." She paused to wipe a tear from her eyes. "I didn't want you to think I was being obsessive or anything, and I was really worried. I know. It even sounds ridiculous to me as I'm saying it."

"Babe, no, that's not ridiculous. You worried because you care," Lup said, smoothing her hair away from her face. "And those are totally valid points. What the fuck is a month? Or a week? Everywhere does it differently. Fuck, even our journey we're measuring in what we know to be units of a year, but that doesn't mean these planes call that amount of time a year. Y'know? To some of them we may have been around for a decade, by whatever measurements they use!"

Lucretia let Lup pet her hair soothingly. "Not gonna lie, trying to think about that too much gives me a massive headache. That's probably why we still keep track of things with our homeworld's calendar system." She let out a sleepy sigh, completely content to stay in Lup's arms. "But to my last point, do elves generally do anniversaries?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't we?"

"Well, y'know, with the whole living hundreds and hundreds of years thing, it seems to me like it might get a bit annoying to keep track of eventually." Lucretia shrugged. "But anyway, I didn't have any plans. I was just going to try to be free by dinner so I could take you somewhere nice, but if we actually have the whole day to ourselves, that's wonderful!"

Lup waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "And I have a great idea for how we can spend tonight, if you wanna have a little pre-anniversary fun."

Hands drifting down Lup's back to settle on the curve of her hips, Lucretia pushed forward to kiss Lup's neck. "It's like you read my mind," she said, trailing her lips over Lup's pulse.

She hoped they could make a tradition out of it, for however long this lasted. Though they all wanted their mission to end for the stress of it all, part of her was okay with it going on forever if it meant an eternity with Lup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of all the ficlets this is the one I'm most likely so far to turn into a Full Piece because I wanna detail their special date!! But I limited myself to 1000 words for each of these chapters so!! Also I wanted to keep this rated Teen. And the date would get A Bit Explicit. So uh. Perhaps look forward to that. When life calms down for me.


	19. First Candlenights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first (insert holiday here)! Lup and Lucretia's first Candlenights since the start of their relationship! They cuddle and talk about family, and what it means to celebrate with the ones you love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say that the previous chapter, the anniversary one, is something I modified and used as one of three writing samples to try to get this job ghostwriting romance novels? Because that totally happened and like..... Believe me, if it works out, I won't stop screaming about it.

"Y'all excited for Candlenights gifts?" Taako asked Lup while they were cleaning up from dinner. "You get your girl anything special?"

Lup stuck her tongue out. "As if I'd tell you and let you spoil the surprise! You can see what I got her when I give you your present, dorkface."

Taako poked her side with a sneaky finger. "You're the dorkface who spent years pining for the pretty little human! C'mon, gift exchange is tomorrow, I promise I can keep a secret for a day."

"Nope!" Lup insisted, flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking away. "Catch you later!" She rushed back to her room and was delighted to find Lucretia curled up peacefully on her bed. "Oh, hey babe, what's up?"

"Nothing really, just wanted to see if you had any evening plans," Lucretia said, snuggling further under the covers. "Well, okay, and it's been really cold on the ship and I wanted to get comfy in your bed."

Lup knelt on the floor next to her and kissed her nose. "You're so fucking cute! Seriously!" She sighed dreamily. "I know it's only been, like, what, eight months? Since we started dating? But damn, Lucy, it feels like I've loved you forever." Folding her arms on the edge of the bed and resting her chin on her hands, Lup stared longingly at Lucretia. "I dunno if we've ever talked Candlenights. What was it like for you back home?"

Scooting over to make room for Lup to climb into the bed with her, Lucretia pulled the covers closer. "Well, honestly, I was never a big fan of the holiday. Too many relatives I barely knew pestering me about what I was going to do to further the family name, dumping their kids off on me to babysit while the adults all drank together, that sort of thing. Being the oldest of the young cousins really sucked for that." When Lup was lying next to her, Lucretia threw the blanket over so that they could cuddle. "But it was also quite the sight to see. We always had such a big party with beautiful decorations and fantastic food, and it was so bright and happy, even if I felt like I didn't belong."

Lup nestled her head under Lucretia's chin. It was hard to talk about home much for all of them, but sometimes it was nice to reminisce. They tried their best at all times to encourage one another to look to their future, knowing that whatever lives they had before were forever lost. For Lup, that was hardly an issue. She and Taako hadn't left anybody who they'd cared about behind, nor did they have a home. If anything, this mission was an overall improvement for them.

All the same, she tried to be sensitive to Lucretia's longing that she would never truly understand. "It sounds like it was hard, but you made the most of it," she eventually settled on saying. She knew that Lucretia had mixed feelings about her family; it was the sort of complication Lup was happy to be without.

"Yeah," Lucretia agreed. She began to stroke Lup's hair as she continued. "Everyone always stressed that the holiday was about spending time with family and remembering how much you love each other, and I never really got that, y'know? But being here with all of you, I finally do." Burying her face into Lup's hair, Lucretia let out a soft sigh. "Thank you for being my family."

"Babe that's the sweetest and gayest thing I think I've ever heard you say," Lup teased, looking up at her girlfriend with a mischievous grin. "It's almost like you love me or something."

"I do love you, silly!" Lucretia rolled her eyes half-heartedly. "Now, I know we aren't doing gifts as a family until tomorrow, but I heard Magnus say earlier that he wanted tonight to be when we all get drunk and play games. If you're interested in joining. That was what I initially came here to talk about, before you distracted me."

Lup snuggled closer after faking exasperation. "Oh, hush. We'll go in a little bit. I wanna enjoy this a while first. It's Candlenights all week, anyway." Feeling Lucretia's warmth against her was beautiful in a way Lup struggled to articulate. It was different from cuddling with Taako, whom she'd slept beside her entire life. His presence was a familiar love, a constant by which all other love was previously measured. Her heart, her greatest joy. 

But it was also different from when she'd sleep beside the rest of their family. Bed sharing being as common as it was, Lup had grown to love how it felt to be cradled in Magnus' big arms, or have Barry gather her up against his broad chest (though with him, specifically, she was beginning to suspect her feelings were changing; but that was a concern for another day). She loved waking up to find Merle or Davenport tucked under her covers, rare as it was they sought her out. 

Something about having Lucretia here felt perfect. There was no other word for it. "Hey, Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

"I should've said it before, but I love you, too. You know that, right? I tease you a lot, and I know not everyone is, like, about that. But I need you to know that I really, really love you. So much."

Lucretia giggled. "Of course I know, dear. But it's wonderful to hear." A sigh. "Happy Candlenights, Lup."

Yeah. Perfect was the right word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One week until my life gets real funky-fresh for a while, so uhh, I'll do my best with the updates until I finish the prompt list. I refuse to abandon this, dang it!!


	20. First Stormy Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first stormy night! Lucretia is scared of big storms. Lup comforts her. They get intimate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, folks. This one is a little shorter than I wanted it to be because uhh.... Well. I didn't it to become Explicit, because none of the others are. So. Yeah. That's why there's the abrupt scene shift.
> 
> Also I'm moving next week so bear with me lol

This plane had some of the most insane weather any of them had ever seen. The first time a storm hit, they hunkered down like it was the end of the world - something almost funny, in hindsight. Lup and Lucretia were sitting on the floor of Lucretia's room, backs up against her bed; the only light came from a handful of small candles.

"So. Some storm, huh?" Lup said as another gust of wind made the ship shudder. "I can't believe it's rocking the shields hard enough to tip the ship. That's fucking nuts!"

Lucretia let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I, uh, I'm not a big fan of storms. So I think this might be a bit of a rough year for me." She was avoiding Lup's eyes, staring straight ahead at a spot on the floor. "I don't think we'll be able to find the Light if this unpredictable weather is just the norm here. We didn't see where it fell, and no way can we explore like this."

Lup reached out and took one of Lucretia's hands. "Well, we can't save them all. I know that sucks. But we also gotta think of our own survival. What good is it if we all die trying to find the Light? Then everything's fucked."

A supernaturally loud clap of thunder rumbled the ground beneath them, making Lucretia jump with a surprised squeak. Shoulders trembling slightly, she glanced at Lup and forced a shaky smile. "I know. I just… I really don't like storms."

"Hey, now, it's okay," Lup assured, squeezing her hand and tugging her close enough to wrap an arm around. "The Starblaster has shields, and all the power is being diverted to them to keep us safe. We'll be okay. If the last few days are any indication, this storm is gonna end abruptly and seemingly at random."

"That doesn't make me feel better, Lup, because that means it can just start up again whenever it wants!" Lucretia grumbled.

"Shit, sorry, yeah, what I was trying to say is, like, it can't last forever? I'm new to this whole 'being a comforting girlfriend' thing, babe!" She answered, an awkward chuckle escaping her chapped lips. "I know something that might distract you?"

Lucretia raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Should I be wary of that tone?"

Lup smirked. "Oh, I dunno, that's up to you, babe. But if you don't wanna think about the big bad storm, maybe we can, only if you're cool with it, maybe make out a bunch?" To emphasize her point, she moved her arm from Lucretia's shoulders to her waist and scooted closer to her. "I hate seeing that pretty face so upset, and I'm not good at being comforting, but I bet I'm real good at being distracting."

"Lup, dear, I--" Lucretia started, eyes darting between Lup's intense gaze and her slightly parted lips. She swallowed hard. "You're wonderful, don't sell yourself short like that. Also, yes, that sounds fantastic." Wasting no time, Lucretia pressed forward to kiss Lup.

It was exactly what she needed: the soft sighs of Lup against her, her hands wandering to stroke every bit of exposed skin peeking out from Lucretia's pajamas, the small appreciative moans. She was distantly aware of another clap of thunder, but couldn't be bothered to care when Lup was climbing into her lap, a strap of her nightgown sliding off her shoulder enough to expose one of her breasts. 

Lucretia wasn't sure when the storm ended, but it did. She became aware of it in the afterglow, lying in bed with Lup, fully nude and sated. "Lup?" she whispered, not wanting to disturb the calm that had befallen them. When Lup hummed to show she was listening, Lucretia smiled. "That was comforting And distracting."

At that, Lup giggle-snorted. "You're welcome, babe!"

"I love you," Lucretia said, burying her face into Lup's hair and breathing in deep. What a gift, to have such a powerful love.

"I love you too, dork," Lup answered, twisting in Lucretia's arms to gaze up at her in adoration. "Glad I could help! How about a post-sex cuddle and nap before dinner, hmm?"

"That sounds wonderful," admitted Lucretia, hugging her tight. She felt so lucky. And safe. And most importantly: loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope folks are doing well. I only ever want to write stuff that makes y'all Feel Things, so if I've ever accomplished that, thank you for taking the time to give me a chance. I know I wax poetic in my fics notes constantly but, like, that's just My Brand.


	21. First Snow Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first snow day! Lucretia and Lup make plans for how to spend the day after waking up to a lot of snow. Naturally, the whole crew gets dragged in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, I, uhh, moved halfway across the country Again because my life is a Joke and I am not permitted Rest from the Chaos. But here's a lil piece that I hope you like. I'm prob gonna write a proper winter piece in, y'know, winter.

Something about it made Lucretia feel like she was a child again. There was a magic in waking up to a world blanketed in pristine snow, in knowing that all responsibilities would be put on hold until the conditions improved. The very appearance of the snow, a bright and beautiful expanse unmarred by tracks so early in the morning, brought a smile to her face as she looked out the window.

"Lup! Snow day!" she exclaimed, rushing back to the bed to shake Lup awake. "Lup! C'mon, get up!" Grinning, she could hardly contain her excitement as Lup blearily opened an eye and made a vague questioning sound. "It snowed! A lot! Come look!" She half-dragged her girlfriend over to the window. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Lup yawned and let her head fall onto Lucretia's shoulder. "It is, babe, it really is, but it's also, like, way too bright for me to look at right now. Maybe after coffee?" She yawned again and kissed the side of Lucretia's neck. "I didn't know you loved snow so much, Lucy."

Almost embarrassed, Lucretia chuckled. "Well, as a kid it meant that the tutors wouldn't be able to come to the house, so we'd all get the day off, y'know? And as the oldest, that meant making sure the other kids had a day of safe fun." She smiled fondly at the memories. "Building snowmen, having snowball fights, making forts. And then going inside to make tea and cocoa and bake cookies." She sighed; how long since she'd last thought about those simpler times? "To me a snow day means a day with my family."

"Aw, babe, that's so sweet, I had no idea," Lup admitted, hugging Lucretia. "I promise we'll make sure today is just as fun as back then. After I get some coffee in me. Because I am basically dead on my feet right now, girly."

While they were drinking their coffee, Magnus burst into the kitchen. "Snow day!" he exclaimed, rushing over to them. "Blanket forts! Shitty movies! Board games!"

Lup shifted in her seat with a yawn. "Is it a human thing to be so obsessed with snow days?" she asked, feeling awkward. For her, snow had meant a desperate scramble for shelter, somewhere dry and protected from the elements to keep them safe. It meant huddling up to a fireside with Taako and waiting, staring at the flames, hand in hand. Just waiting.

Magnus shrugged, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Dunno, but I always loved having an excuse to stay home and hang out with my cousins! What do you wanna do today? I'm sure we can convince Capn'port to give us the day off!"

"Oh, um, we were gonna go play outside," Lucretia said, realizing how childish it sounded. She should feel embarrassed, she told herself, but she didn't. Her and Magnus were the same age, and he was just as excited as she was! "Y'know, throw snow at each other and build stuff with it."

"Fuck yeah! Snowmen and snowball fights and snow forts!" He was bouncing on his feet enthusiastically. At that moment, Barry walked in. "Barry! Snow day! Let's round everyone up! Lucretia had the best idea!"

As he dragged a half-asleep Barry back out of the kitchen, calling out for the others to get up, Lup looked at Lucretia and let out a laugh. "Well, I guess that's our day booked, then, wouldn't you say?" She leaned in to kiss Lucretia's cheek. "We are so going to destroy Taako in a snowball fight, babe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> by the way, TAZB fanfiction got me a writing job, which is, like, fucking bonkers and I'll never be over it. so if updates slow even more or fics stop coming for a while I promise it's not me giving up on fics, it's me writing more than ever!!! (just other things)


	22. First Beach Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first beach day! The first day of the beach cycle, Lup and Lucretia enjoy some sun-soaking and have a heart-to-heart about anxieties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out sitting in a motel all day waiting for your partner to get home from work is boring as shit. My writing job hasn't started just yet so, like, that means more fics!

"Can you believe we get a whole year of this?" Lup said, incredulous. "I haven't been to a beach in, like, fifty years? Yikes." She was grinning ear to ear, leaning over the railing on the deck of the ship. "We gotta go swimming!"

Lucretia leaned on the railing beside her. "We do. But first I think I'd like to spend a day just relaxing. We've been running so much, don't you just want to lay back on the sand and enjoy the sun for a little bit?"

Lup nodded, curls bouncing. "Oh, def. Last one down there owes a back rub!" And with that, she raced off to get ready.

"Lup!" Lucretia tried to call after her, shaking her head. It didn't bother her, though. She knew that Lup would be in a bathing suit and running across the beach in no time, meanwhile Lucretia would probably still be searching for a towel. The ship was a flurry of activity, an excited hum in the air as they all prepared for what would essentially be their first vacation.

As she had thought, by the time she arrived on the waterfront, Lup was already lounging on a towel, a large umbrella casting just enough shade to keep her face protected. "I'll take that back rub tonight, if you don't mind," she teased.

"Of course," Lucretia agreed, setting down her towel to lay beside Lup. She sighed. The calming sound of the waves, the breeze, the distant call of birds. Hardly a cloud in the sky. It was perfect. "We deserve this," she said after a while. Lucretia turned her head toward Lup only to find her girlfriend was already looking back at her; she blushed.

"We do," Lup agreed, smile soft. She extended a hand to cup Lucretia's cheek. "We need to take better care of ourselves. I know it's been, y'know, hard to do that, but we need to. If we all lose it, what was this all for? We gotta keep it together." She sighed, rubbing Lucretia's cheek with her thumb. "Baby, you're so young. I know we don't look that different age-wise, but like, fuck. I'm a full hundred years older than you." 

Lucretia chuckled as she leaned into Lup's hand. "If you're trying to act all proper and mature on me now, it won't work. I've known you too long. That's all a façade you put on to teach the kids at the Institute and we both know it."

Lup blew a raspberry at her. "Shows what you know! I'm an adult even by elf standards! Way to ruin the moment!" They both broke into a fit of giggles after that, looking into each other's eyes with rising affection. Lup sighed. "What I'm trying to say is just that I've got a lot more experience than you do, and sometimes it worries me. When I was your age we were living on the road, just me and Taako bouncing between caravans and begging for our livelihood."

"I'd argue that's just as bad as this, maybe worse" Lucretia pointed out, rolling onto her side to fully face Lup. She let her one foot hang off the towel and focused on feeling the warm sand between her toes. It was malleable, soft and forgiving in a way that their lives had been lacking for decades. "You were children. Well, okay, your twenties are adulthood by human measure, but for elves, I mean. You deserved better."

"Aw, babe, it's so nice to hear anybody thinks that." Lup also rolled to face Lucretia, reaching to grab her hands and entwine their fingers. "We were mostly told we deserved worse and should've been grateful for what we had." She scoffed. "Total garbage, right? Well, whatever. We made it. And now we're here!" Sighing, Lup's shoulders relaxed. "Now I get to lay on the most exotic beach imaginable with my beautiful girlfriend and enjoy an entire year of peaceful vacation. Pretty fucking awesome, if you ask me."

They let the sound of waves soothe them for a long while after that, facing one another with closed eyes as they drunk in each other's presence. They could hear Magnus and Taako having an energetic water fight not far away, Davenport and Barry shouting at them to be careful not to go out too far. They could hear Merle singing as he roamed the sands collecting shells, loudly announcing when he found something particularly interesting.

"You're right, you know," Lucretia began.

Lup hummed to show she was listening. 

"About you having more experience than me. Sometimes it really hits me how young I was when this all started. I should be middle-aged by now."

A brief silence. "Does it scare you?" Lup asked.

A shaky breath and a nod. "Every day," she admitted. "Am I just a child to all of you? Is that all I'll ever be? People have fought and killed for the promise of eternal youth, and here I am, handed something like it and fucking hating it." Lucretia could feel a panic attack rising in her chest, her heart pounding painfully as her head spun. Before she could continue speaking, Lup was moving closer to wrap her arms around her.

"It's okay to be scared," Lup whispered into her hair. "Really, I promise. But you don't have to be scared alone, okay? I'm here, and the rest of our family is, too. We're gonna spend this year just breathing. That's all we have to do. Breathe another day."

Nodding, Lucretia let herself be held, melting in Lup's arms. "Thanks," she murmured, face pressed against Lup's breast. "I guess I've needed this more than I thought."

"And plenty more where that came from!" Lup kissed the top of her head. "Love you so much."

"I love you too."

And from the safety of Lup's embrace, Lucretia let the ocean waves lull her to sleep, feeling herself truly relax for the first time in years. If only this could last forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope the existential crisis bit here isn't off-putting. I try to make these pieces sweet, but like, shrugs.


	23. First Game/Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first game/movie night! Lucretia has been extremely depressed. Lup and Barry have an idea for how to help her feel better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'm gonna get back to posting ficlets daily," I said, before promptly getting too depressed to do anything other than play Minecraft and listen to goofy podcasts. Y'all know how it is.

It had been a week since anybody other than Lup had seen Lucretia at all. She wasn't letting anybody else into her room, and refused to come out even for meals. Lup was allowed in twice a day to bring her food, but beyond that, she was a ghost to them.

"She's just been really depressed," Lup assured Barry, who was reasonably concerned about their partner. "Honestly, I don't think she'd let me come in at all if she thought she could stop me. But like hell I'm gonna let her waste away, y'know?"

"Did something happen?" Barry asked, glancing wearily down the hall towards Lucretia's room. "Did someone say something that upset her? Or something? Anything?"

Lup shrugged. "Dunno, babe, I think it's just one of those things that happens. I have an idea of something we can do to help, though, if you're interested in getting into a bit of mischief."

"Lup, I doubt mischief is gonna be what makes her feel better."

"Oh, hush, it's not real mischief, just like… Okay, c'mon, you'll see." She grabbed Barry by the hand and dragged him to her room, leading him to the closet. "I've been saving these for the right time, and I think you'll agree that that's now." She stood on her toes to retrieve a small stack of boxes from the top shelf, shoved behind clothes to hide them.

Barry raised an eyebrow. "Babe, if this is some kind of sex thing, I don't think--" He stopped midsentence as he got a better look at the boxes: board games. They didn't look like any he recognized from back home. "Where did you get those?"

Smirking, Lup flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Picked them up a few cycles ago. She mentioned to me once that her family back home used to do a game night where they'd all play games together and bake and stuff. So I got these!" Lup set the boxes down on the bed and went back to the closet, retrieving a few small blankets. "And we can make a blanket fort to play them in, so she can feel like she's still in her bed."

"Okay, I gotta admit, it's a great idea. But she won't let me in," Barry pointed out. "And I don't think it'd be good to drag her out. Any ideas?"

"Oh, yeah, you're just gonna follow me in when I bring her dinner, and there's nothing she can do about it!" Lup said as she opened her nightstand, pulling out a few DVDs. "And if she isn't in the mood for games, I have movies here I know she likes."

At that, Barry laughed. "Holy shit, you've had those with you the whole time?"

"Uh, yeah, Barold, I think we all brought our favorite movies? Like? Are you new?" She was grinning, eyes sparkling the way they did when she was just messing with him. "I'm gonna go cook dinner with Taako. Just be ready to follow me to her room in a bit, okay?"

Half an hour later, Lup was knocking on Lucretia's door, a plate of food in hand and Barry in tow. "Lucy? Honey? I'm coming in with your dinner," she announced, waiting until she heard Lucretia shifting around before opening the door. Lup slipped in first, quick as she could manage to keep Lucretia distracted while Barry followed.

The room was almost completely dark. Barry knew that Lup was only able to navigate to Lucretia's bed because of her darkvision, whereas he was hoping to simply avoiding tripping and revealing himself too early. He heard the two women speaking in hushed tones for a few minutes while he stood by the door, arms growing tired of standing still with the board games and blankets. He could hear that Lucretia was eating while Lup had a mostly one-sided conversation; it put his mind at ease. At least Lucretia was still eating.

"You realize I noticed Barry come in with you, right?" Lucretia asked, just loud enough for Barry to hear.

He froze. Shit. "Sorry, Luca, we wanted to surprise you," he said guiltily. Figuring the game was up, he gingerly stepped across the room, managing to avoid tripping, and set the stack of games on the edge of the bed. "Lup, wanna tell her what you had in mind?"

Without missing a beat, Lup snatched up the nearest of the boxes. "Game night!" she exclaimed, reaching back to grab one of the DVDs. "Or movie night! Or both!" Finally, she tugged one of the blankets over. "And blanket forts! We can do snacks and stuff too if you wanna but that's up to you."

There was silence for a few moments as Lucretia stared. Then, without warning, she flung her arms around Lup's waist. "That sounds wonderful!" she breathed, moving to give Barry a hug, too. "But can we do it in here? I don't want to--"

"Leave? I know, baby, don't you worry about that." Lup shifted around on the bed so that Lucretia could see the various games and movies in the pile. "You just have to pick whatever you think sounds like fun! And if at any point it's not fun anymore you just say the word and we'll switch it up! No pressure," she assured, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to Lucretia's forehead.

"We know you aren't feeling well, but I hope this helps," Barry added, sitting on the other side of the bed. "We love you, and even if all we can do is provide some distraction from the rest of the garbage for now, well, we wanna do that." He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Sound good?"

Lucretia nodded, tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she choked. "I'm sorry I've been so--"

"Shhh, no," Lup cut in, tapping a finger on Lucretia's lips. "No apologies, ma'am! You feel however you need to feel, and let us love you enough to carry you through. Okay?"

She nodded again, the tears finally overflowing. Things had been hard lately, but as they strung up the blankets to make a cozy tent over her bed, she felt that the worst was behind her. By the time they were finishing the first movie, Lucretia was feeling well enough to ask for popcorn to be made. And by the time they'd played the games too, she was feeling lighter than she had in months, the tight weight in her chest easing its grip on her heart with every laugh. 

How had they known this was exactly what she needed? A night with her family, with her dearest loves. It was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For real though I absolutely will be finishing the prompt list but life is Doing Some Stuff rn so Yeah. Thanks as always for sticking with me, and I hope folks are still enjoying these! Be good out there!


	24. First Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first party! Lup and Lucretia attend a party on a plane after their crew recovers the Light. Lucretia is nervous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got no excuse beyond Depression, but I hope this is good. Almost done with these prompts! It's been fun!

The idea of a party in their honor was interesting, to say the least. They'd found the Light, which wound up preventing a war, and so the local governor wanted to make sure everybody knew why they were celebrating.

It wasn’t the first time they'd participated in the local high-life of a plane, but it was going to be the first time that they were the cause for celebration. Lucretia was nervous. She wasn't a big fan of being the center of attention - that was half the appeal of ghostwriting, she'd always reasoned. She could do work she loved, produce content she was extremely proud of, and have someone else take the brunt of the resulting fame. 

That simply wouldn't be possible tonight, she reluctantly acknowledged. Lup was doing her hair in a fancy up-do, chatting with Taako as he fought with his mess of curls. The two of them were discussing how to coordinate their make-up, while Lucretia dug through the small pouch she kept her few products in.

Surely a basic eyeliner and some lipstick to match her dress would suffice. It was a fancy party, sure, but they were also technically aliens. Any breaches of conduct could easily be pinned on that, and she was confident that this could extend to the dress code. Besides, none of them knew what "fancy" looked like here! For all they knew, they were going to show up to a group of people in tank tops and jorts, and the governor would insist that it's what passed as formalwear here!

"What do you think?" Lup asked, breaking Lucretia from her thoughts. She and Taako were striking a pose, showing off their matching looks. "I'm gonna be wearing that cute little red sequin dress, and he's got one of those dress-suits that matches it!"

Lucretia smiled. How could she not? Her girlfriend was radiant, with her sparkling eyes and toothy grin. "I think you're beautiful," she finally said, ignoring the fake retching sounds Taako made at that. 

They finished getting ready and all went as a group. Lucretia was immediately regretting agreeing to go, as the cacophony of music and chatter surrounded them. Her regret continued when they were all made to stand at the front of the hall while the governor gave a speech about how they'd saved them from certain war.

Her regret stopped the moment Lup asked her to dance, the sounds of the party fading around them as she was spun around the floor by Lup's sure steps. She focused on the move of her limbs, desperate to mirror Lup to avoid looking as clueless as she felt. Lucretia couldn't tear her eyes away from Lup's face, glowing with joy, completely in her element. The spectacle of being on display like this, yet being so untouchable to everyone around them, was precisely where Lup shined.

"You're amazing at this," Lucretia commented between songs, catching her breath.

"You're not so bad yourself, little miss! I'm sure you've been to parties like this all the time as a kid, right? Wealthy family, and all that."

Lup was just teasing her, and she knew it, but Lucretia still couldn't help but blush. "Actually, as kids we weren't allowed to attend, but I always wanted to. I never…" She paused, not wanting to ruin the moment. She wanted Lup to know she'd never had the chance to attend a function like this before leaving for the mission. By the time she'd been old enough to be allowed, she'd been accepted at the Academy, and was leaving home for the last time.

Luckily, Lup understood from the look in her eyes that it was a tough subject; she could figure it out from there. "Hey, there's a first time for everything," she said, cupping Lucretia's face in her own and pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Just enough to be felt, but not enough to ruin their lipstick.

For her first fancy party, Lucretia was pretty happy with how it was going, all things considered. She could deal with the crowd and the sound and the ridiculously uncomfortable outfits if it meant having a moment like this with Lup.

The next song began, and she was swept away by her girlfriend all over again. She wouldn't trade this joy for anything in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the other ones that may be expanded into a full fic at some point. If, y'know, I ever get my life together enough to be consistent.


	25. First Home Improvement Project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry, Lup, and Lucretia discuss their plans to decorate their new home, now that they're able to settle down. Cozy and domestic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoy this one. If you follow my other stuff you can probably tell that the big Blupcretia fic has been what I've been most focused on lately, so uhh... Hope folks just, like.... are having a good time

They'd been living together in that house for nearly a year before Lup suggested it.

"Why don't we spruce up the paint-job a bit? We can each be in charge of a room!" she'd eagerly said, twirling a finger in her bright curls as she laid out the plan to her partners. "I call kitchen, natch, but I think we should deffo hit the bedroom and living room, too. And, like, if you want we can do the rest of the house, but those three first for sure."

Lucretia nodded along. "I'd love that, to be honest. It'll make this place feel more home-y."

Barry shrugged, less enthusiastic but still supportive. "Sure, I don't see why not. Were you thinking of hiring folks to take care of it once we pick the colors, or--"

"No way, babe, this would be our own thing!" Lup interrupted, grinning. "And I don't want us using magic, either! Well, okay, maybe we can use a little magic to make the paint dry quicker, but I want this to be something we do together!" She brought her hand to Barry's cheek and stroked his scruff gently. "I finally have a body again, and I want to use it. Y'know?"

He understood. Of course he did. He smiled. "Yeah, I know. It sounds great, really," he assured.

They spent the rest of their breakfast discussing how they wanted to proceed. It was agreed that Barry would handle the living room, and Lucretia would be in charge of the bedroom. 

"But which do we start with? It's gonna be a bit expensive to redecorate them all at once, so maybe we focus on one room a month?" Barry asked, pulling a notepad over to scribble estimates onto. "We aren't re-doing the floors, at least not until we hit some other projects first, so that's a big expense avoided. Hmm… Well, okay, Lup, what were you thinking for kitchen appliances?"

Lup made a contented hum as she sipped her coffee before setting the cup back down. "Oh, that stuff can wait, too. I'm thinking the best place to start would be the paint jobs and whatever we need to do to make the furniture match. So, like, new bedding and stuff. But the bigger things? No rush, if you ask me." She reached for both of their hands, holding Barry's in her left and Lucretia's in her right. "We have so much time, now. And we get to spend it here. We don't have to run anymore. So let's take it slow and enjoy it, okay?"

They both smiled at her. Lucretia leaned down to press a kiss to the back of her hand. "Of course. I enjoyed designing the Bureau's moon base, so I'm sure this will be easy compared to that."

"Did you have any help, like, at all?" Lup asked, incredulous.

Lucretia looked away, eyes growing slightly distant. "I did. A woman who became a very good friend to me. She's no longer with us, or you'd have met her by now. She would've loved you two." The topic of Maureen hadn't come up before, and so Lucretia hadn't mentioned her. It felt like a betrayal of Barry and Lup's love to admit that she'd been with another woman for some time, even given the circumstances.

"I'm sorry," they both mumbled.

"It's... it's okay. Maybe when we aren't trying to plan for happier things, I can tell you more about her." She tried to smile, but gods, the weight of it all. She decided to change the subject back to their home improvement projects, a welcome distraction. "I'm thinking the bedroom can be a nice pale blue-grey, something soothing."

"Sounds good! Bear? Any color ideas for the living room?"

Barry squeezed Lup's hand in his, clicking his tongue as he mulled it over. "Hmm, maybe. It's not that exciting, but maybe a sandy beige? That'll match basically anything so it's easy, but it'd also brighten the place up, y'know?"

Lup agreed and launched into her plans for the kitchen. It was nice being able to get invested in something so mundane. How long had it been since they'd had such a low-stakes project? The idea of putting effort into personalizing their living space for themselves would've been unthinkable even just a year prior.

And yet here they were, sitting in the kitchen of the home they owned together. The home that they wouldn't need to fight tooth-and-nail for any longer, that they could stay in, grow in. As they continued to have their morning coffee and talk about their plans for their home, all three couldn't help but think about how much they deserved this, after everything.

And they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow and steady, and all that. Only a few more of these prompts left. Thanks for stopping by!


	26. First Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: first time realizing their feelings!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone reading this is also reading my big Blupcretia thing, don't worry about stuff, like, not lining up. I'm not building one big extended canon that's meant to all link up nicely or anything. Just some fics that are mostly meant to stand alone. Of course, whatever here fits with stuff there makes for a nice fleshed out extended canon, so make of it all what you will.

For Lup, it had been easy. They were all meeting each other for the first time at a luncheon with the captain of their mission, where they were to get to know one another before the training began. As soon as she sat down at that table she knew that Lucretia was going to be trouble. The good kind of trouble, of course, but trouble nonetheless.

"Oh, I like the look of that one," she'd whispered to Taako, swallowing back a giggle. Lucretia's eyes shone with intelligence and maturity, yet she seemed to also be shy and reserved. Lup could immediately tell that it wasn't going to be so easy getting to know their chronicler; she liked a challenge.

During their training for the mission, she kept careful watch of how Lucretia interacted with the rest of the crew. So far, all of her suspicions had been correct: Lucretia was brilliant and competent, but held herself back from letting the fullness of her best attributes shine. But what surprised Lup the most was how downright hilarious the young woman was! The combination of her deadpan humor and quick wit kept Lup on her toes with every conversation.

Loving Lucretia came to her so easily. Recognizing that those were the feelings she harbored, on the other hand, took a bit of pushing from her ever-nosy brother. 

"Come oooooon, Lulu, just fucking admit it! You have a big gay crush on Lucretia, and, like, that's fine! Just stop pretending you don't! You're hot as hell, she's deffo into you too!"

Ignoring that Taako was slyly complimenting himself as well, Lup simply buried her face in her hands and groaned. They were sitting on the floor of what was going to be his room on the ship, mere days before departure. It was the first night that they were all sleeping on board after an intense day of training and briefing, and like hell were the twins going to spend that night apart.

"I get not wanting to tell her until we get back so that things don't get awkward out there, but fuck, at least admit it to yourself! And then admit it to me so I can tell you I told you so!"

In lieu of an actual response Lup groaned again. He was embarrassing her, even though they were alone. She didn't think he was right, but with how hot her face burned at the mere thought of saying those words to Lucretia, she didn't think he was quite wrong, either. She continued to deny it in the face of his insistence, but as the night wore on, a quiet certainty burrowed its way into her heart.

She was definitely falling in love. With how Lucretia smiled quietly when someone cracked a joke. With the way she made it look completely effortless to write in two journals simultaneously. With how sharp her observations were during their team meetings. With every expression she made when she didn't think anybody else was looking. All of it - all of Her.

And oh, how warm and wonderful a feeling it was. Not that she would admit that to Taako, of course. But she could stand to admit it to herself.

For Lucretia, the realization took longer, but not terribly much. A few months into that first cycle, she had finally gotten something close to a routine going for herself. It was something she desperately needed to stay sane. For the most part, her days consisted of writing down everything the others told her about their various exploits interspersed with her sketches of the scenery around the ship - mostly detailed drawings of specific flora and fauna.

She also took it upon herself to designate which chores she was comfortable doing, and always made sure to do them at a set day and time. The predictability of it was calming, in a way, because she was never caught unawares by having more on her plate than she could handle. 

Except for the days when Lup would burst into her room and excitedly start rattling off whatever advancements they'd made decoding the animal language of this plane. The first time it happened, Lucretia had gotten genuinely annoyed with her. She didn't say so, naturally, choosing instead to smile and nod along with what Lup was saying, taking notes in her journal for posterity before thanking her for her time. 

The second time, she was tempted to ask Lup to pick a day and time to go over her findings, if only to make the affair something Lucretia could mentally prepare for. It was only because of how intense she was; the others just tapped Lucretia on the arm as they passed her in the hall and asked when she'd have a minute to take their statement. Not Lup, though, who asserted her presence upon Lucretia without warning whenever it struck her to share.

By the fifth time, Lucretia had come to expect it. The fact that it was a break in her routine was still somewhat stressful to her, but she was coming to realize several things: first, that this was how Lup bonded with those she cared about; and second, that she wasn't going to be able to do anything to change it, so she'd better accept it for what it was.

"Lucretia!" Lup practically sang as she ran in, uniform caked in dirt. "You won't believe what happened today! You got a minute?" She was standing in the doorway beaming, but didn't come all the way into the room, reluctant to track dirt into Lucretia's personal space without permission.

How courteous and thoughtful, Lucretia thought. They were all learning how to navigate each other's peculiarities, and seeing Lup in that moment of recognition sparked something in Lucretia's heart. She cared deeply about Lup, yes, but something about witnessing her standing there gave rise to a new feeling.

There was gratitude at having her needs respected, relief that she wouldn't have to mop her floor, eagerness to spend time with Lup and share what had transpired…

And, to her great surprised, there was also love. The thought occurred to her as naturally as any other, as if it had always been there beneath everything else, and for a moment she felt silly at having not caught on sooner. It was somewhat unfamiliar territory for her, having strong romantic feelings for someone. A rare occurrence, given her introversion and standoffishness. But not unwelcome.

Much, much later, long after they began their relationship, they shared the memories of this first realization with one another and laughed at how innocuous their respective moments had been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the patience, y'all. I wish I could say the delay in updates was because of work, but it's the same old depression excuse as always. Hope everyone's doing well. Feedback is appreciated. Y'all are peaches!

**Author's Note:**

> please let me know if you enjoyed this because there's plenty more where that came from!


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